Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt Purchases 1,702 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 28.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,611 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 1,702 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $7,901,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Oarsman Capital Inc. raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. now owns 1,430 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,185,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. FIL Ltd increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 21.4% in the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 240,856 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $199,595,000 after purchasing an additional 42,395 shares during the last quarter. Sunpointe LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $370,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 129.4% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,599 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,325,000 after acquiring an additional 902 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cim LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $224,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,005.20.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,085.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.30. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $994.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $961.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.98 billion, a PE ratio of 29.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $674.41 and a 52 week high of $1,088.84.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.28 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.50%.

About W.W. Grainger

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.