Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado Sells 90 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado trimmed its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,566 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 90 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,120,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 169,897 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 360,026 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $324,841,000 after purchasing an additional 17,699 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $281,104,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 243,470 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $219,386,000 after purchasing an additional 1,849 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FIL Ltd raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 21.4% in the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 240,856 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $199,595,000 after buying an additional 42,395 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on GWW. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target on the stock. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,014.11.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.2 %

GWW opened at $1,032.22 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $970.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $956.01. The company has a market capitalization of $50.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.50, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $674.41 and a 52 week high of $1,037.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

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

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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

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.