Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Has $4.67 Million Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. decreased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 14.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,177 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 886 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,671,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 169,897 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 17,699 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $281,104,000. FIL Ltd lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 21.4% in the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 240,856 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $199,595,000 after acquiring an additional 42,395 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at about $159,365,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on GWW shares. Baird R W cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Robert W. Baird cut shares of 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 target price on the stock. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,014.11.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,012.63 on Thursday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $49.69 billion, a PE ratio of 27.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $963.24 and its 200 day moving average is $955.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $674.41 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted 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 company had revenue of $4.31 billion for 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%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.28 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 22.64%.

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.