Fmr LLC Has $1.69 Billion Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Fmr LLC lessened its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,603,797 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 13,352 shares during the period. Fmr LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,690,482,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $535,910,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $175,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 67,018 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 58,978 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 3.2 %

NYSE GWW opened at $942.43 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $1,013.43 and its 200-day moving average is $1,076.89. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $45.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.35, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 prior year, the business posted $8.33 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 21.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the subject of several recent research reports. 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 for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wolfe Research lowered W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,130.89.

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.