W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stake Increased by Promethos Capital LLC

Promethos Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 128.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,594 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 1,460 shares during the quarter. Promethos Capital LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,340,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 119.5% during the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 2,364 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,287 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 36.6% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 9,506 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,664,000 after purchasing an additional 2,548 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 108,933 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $90,272,000 after purchasing an additional 6,197 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 1,201.6% in the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $748,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.2% during the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 59,822 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $60,857,000 after purchasing an additional 6,042 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,014.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of GWW opened at $1,030.10 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.30. The company has a market cap of $50.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.44, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $965.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $955.58. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $674.41 and a 52-week high of $1,034.18.

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

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 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.