AMF Tjanstepension AB Purchases 11,694 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 124.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 21,111 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,694 shares during the period. AMF Tjanstepension AB’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $22,255,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of GWW. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during 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 raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 694.1% in the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 76,674 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $80,818,000 after acquiring an additional 67,018 shares in the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth $55,815,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,653.7% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 56,978 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $60,058,000 after acquiring an additional 53,729 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,007.06 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $874.98 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $1,055.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,074.87. 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 cap of $48.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted 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 net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $8.33 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on 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 reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.