Global X Japan Co. Ltd. Purchases 29 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Global X Japan Co. Ltd. raised its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 6.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 481 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $507,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Avestar Capital LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.0% during the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 467 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $485,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares during the period. Busey Bank raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Busey Bank now owns 615 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $648,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the period. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,191 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,237,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtue Capital Management LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 5.2% during the third quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 223 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $232,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of 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. UBS Group started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price 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. Baird R W raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.2 %

GWW stock opened at $1,044.53 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $874.98 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.87 billion, a PE ratio of 26.98, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,105.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,066.89.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share 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 in the prior year, the business posted $8.33 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 41.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 21.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.