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

AMF Tjanstepension AB boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 124.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,111 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,694 shares during the quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $22,255,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Swedbank AB raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 23.5% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $201,413,000 after purchasing an additional 36,892 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 409 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $424,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 58,961 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $61,249,000 after buying an additional 2,725 shares in the last quarter. LS Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. LS Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,428 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $13,949,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Global Investments purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $240,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW opened at $1,007.06 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $1,055.60 and a 200 day moving average of $1,074.87. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $874.98 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. 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 market cap of $48.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.02, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted 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 net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $8.33 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada cut 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,151.50.

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.