Mizuho Securities USA LLC Acquires 1,319 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 45.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,200 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 1,319 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,427,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 313.3% during the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,603,000 after purchasing an additional 1,153 shares during the last quarter. Clark & Stuart Inc bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,741,000. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 72.6% during the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 9,270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 7,146 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,424,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of 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, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $971.57 on Monday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,038.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,077.01. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market cap of $46.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.10, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18.

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 return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $8.33 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio 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.