W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Position Increased by Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 16.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,590 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,778 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $19,929,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at about $221,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.7% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 161,158 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $111,489,000 after buying an additional 16,883 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.7% in the third quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 18,741 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $12,974,000 after buying an additional 497 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 33.7% during the third quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,063 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,427,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.3% during the third quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 3,327 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,302,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW traded down $2.96 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $912.55. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 169,006 shares, compared to its average volume of 229,529. The company has a market capitalization of $44.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.19, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $674.41 and a 1 year high of $1,034.18. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $924.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $927.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $9.61 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.90%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Stephens upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday, April 29th. Loop Capital lowered their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $959.44.

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.