Trillium Asset Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Trillium Asset Management LLC lowered its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 315 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 16 shares during the period. Trillium Asset Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $332,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $175,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 694.1% in the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 76,674 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $80,818,000 after purchasing an additional 67,018 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 14.7% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 459,536 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $491,170,000 after purchasing an additional 58,978 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $55,815,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.9 %

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $983.72 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.41, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1,041.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,076.14. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $874.98 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same period last year, the company earned $8.33 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

W.W. Grainger, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services primarily in North America, Japan, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety, security, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance, and metalworking and hand tools.