W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Bought by Asset Management One Co. Ltd.

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,822 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 186 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $19,051,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 313.3% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,603,000 after purchasing an additional 1,153 shares in the last quarter. Clark & Stuart Inc purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,741,000. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 72.6% in the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 9,270 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 27.0% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,312,000 after buying an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.0 %

GWW opened at $1,027.68 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $874.98 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,086.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,070.93.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $8.33 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Northcoast Research began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,148.56.

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.