Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Purchases 46 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,184 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,467,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on GWW. Oppenheimer raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. StockNews.com raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Stephens raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $925.00 to $1,000.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $913.89.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total value of $2,966,586.84. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total value of $2,966,586.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $955.79 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $979.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $871.45. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $641.95 and a 52-week high of $1,034.18. The firm has a market cap of $46.96 billion, a PE ratio of 26.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.88.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.05 by $0.28. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 56.54% and a net margin of 11.10%. The business had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.14 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 12th were given a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.55%.

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.