Intech Investment Management LLC Has $12.92 Million Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Intech Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 26.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,315 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 5,151 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $12,916,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at $281,104,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,167,913,000 after buying an additional 169,897 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at $159,365,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 563.3% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 72,300 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $65,232,000 after buying an additional 61,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 67.9% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 143,193 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $129,175,000 after purchasing an additional 57,894 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on GWW. Robert W. Baird lowered W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Baird R W downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,014.11.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,032.22 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a market capitalization of $50.65 billion, a PE ratio of 28.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $674.41 and a 12 month high of $1,037.23. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $967.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $956.10.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.28 earnings per share. Analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.64%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.