Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Lowers Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank reduced its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,398 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,829 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned about 0.05% of W.W. Grainger worth $21,876,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Clear Street Markets LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Retirement Group LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2,450.0% in the fourth quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. StockNews.com upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $825.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $913.89.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.7 %

GWW opened at $949.92 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $980.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $863.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.88. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $641.95 and a one year high of $1,034.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.14.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.05 by $0.28. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 56.54% and a net margin of 11.10%. The firm had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.14 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 12th were issued a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total value of $2,966,586.84. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.