Tredje AP fonden Sells 2,592 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Tredje AP fonden lessened its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 30.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,793 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,592 shares during the quarter. Tredje AP fonden’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $6,106,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Swedbank AB raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 23.5% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $201,413,000 after acquiring an additional 36,892 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 78 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Versor Investments LP purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $362,000. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $717,000. Finally, Savvy Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $220,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $954.67 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $1,050.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,076.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The company has a market capitalization of $46.03 billion, a PE ratio of 24.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. 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 (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 last year, the firm earned $8.33 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.18%.

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.