Dearborn Partners LLC Buys 50 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Dearborn Partners LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 20.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 296 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Dearborn Partners LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $312,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $175,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 694.1% during the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 76,674 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $80,818,000 after acquiring an additional 67,018 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 58,978 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth $55,815,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. UBS Group started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective on the stock. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW opened at $981.16 on Wednesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The company has a market capitalization of $47.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $1,052.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,076.94.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $8.33 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.