Intech Investment Management LLC Decreases Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Intech Investment Management LLC decreased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 64.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,558 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 6,484 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,750,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Swedbank AB grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 23.5% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $201,413,000 after purchasing an additional 36,892 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 793 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $824,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of 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 valued at $2,312,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 14,607 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $15,174,000 after purchasing an additional 1,041 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,233 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,320,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.9 %

GWW opened at $983.72 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.43 billion, a PE ratio of 25.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $1,041.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,076.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period last year, the firm earned $8.33 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,151.50.

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.