Public Sector Pension Investment Board Grows Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 24.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 89,186 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,750 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board owned about 0.18% of W.W. Grainger worth $80,467,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 170.0% during the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 275.0% in the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% during the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth about $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,032.22 on Monday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $674.41 and a 12-month high of $1,037.23. 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 cap of $50.65 billion, a PE ratio of 28.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $970.23 and a 200-day moving average price of $956.01.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.28 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on GWW. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird downgraded W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target 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. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Baird R W downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. 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 presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,014.11.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

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

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.