KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Invests $24.59 Million in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 23,330 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,591,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of 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. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.2 %

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $971.57 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The business’s fifty day moving average is $1,038.34 and its 200 day moving average is $1,076.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.85 billion, a PE ratio of 25.10, 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 current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 quarter in the previous year, the company posted $8.33 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.