Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd Sells 2,293 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd cut its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 22.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,984 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,293 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger comprises 1.8% of Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $8,416,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,330,688 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,618,812,000 after purchasing an additional 40,376 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,997,191 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,074,702,000 after acquiring an additional 45,369 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,194,747 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,256,400,000 after purchasing an additional 27,716 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $535,910,000. Finally, Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 459,536 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $491,170,000 after purchasing an additional 58,978 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. 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, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on 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, 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE:GWW opened at $993.21 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $1,022.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,077.69. The company has a market capitalization of $47.89 billion, a PE ratio of 25.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. 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.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced 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 net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $8.33 earnings per share. On average, research 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.18%.

W.W. Grainger 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.