APG Asset Management N.V. Acquires Shares of 23,800 W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

APG Asset Management N.V. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 23,800 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,226,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Advisory Services Network LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 22.1% during the 4th quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 3,543 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,734,000 after acquiring an additional 641 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 94.1% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 11,006 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $11,601,000 after purchasing an additional 5,335 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 28.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 514,326 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $542,126,000 after purchasing an additional 115,290 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 94,271 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $99,366,000 after purchasing an additional 478 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 16,843 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $17,753,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 4.9 %

Shares of GWW stock opened at $964.83 on Thursday. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The company has a market cap of $46.52 billion, a PE ratio of 24.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $995.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,072.96.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (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 quarter last year, the firm earned $8.33 EPS. Equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 21.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The sale 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 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.