Vontobel Holding Ltd. Has $29.35 Million Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. cut its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,257 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 657 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $29,354,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,167,913,000 after buying an additional 169,897 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 360,026 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $324,841,000 after acquiring an additional 17,699 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth about $281,104,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 243,470 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $219,386,000 after acquiring an additional 1,849 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 23.5% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $201,413,000 after purchasing an additional 36,892 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. Bank of America assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 target price on the stock. Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,030.70.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

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

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock opened at $1,112.93 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $54.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.73, a P/E/G 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 $1,115.63. 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 firm’s fifty day moving average is $1,002.92 and its 200 day moving average is $962.39.

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

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.64%.

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.