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

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,231 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 22 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,514,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Zions Bancorporation N.A. boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 5,837 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,152,000 after buying an additional 843 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 18.8% during the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 38,210 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,275,000 after acquiring an additional 6,054 shares in the last quarter. Hirtle Callaghan & Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $223,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,330,688 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,618,812,000 after purchasing an additional 40,376 shares during the period. Finally, Stevens Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 376.0% during the fourth quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP now owns 1,090 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,149,000 after purchasing an additional 861 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on GWW. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of 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. Royal Bank of Canada lowered 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $989.47 on Wednesday. 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 one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $1,034.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,077.68. The company has a market capitalization of $47.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $8.33 earnings per share. 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.