B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Lowers Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG trimmed its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,070 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 108 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $11,677,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at $231,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth about $381,000. Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.1% in the third quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 631 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $655,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 4.9% during the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 5,965 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,197,000 after buying an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $16,988,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $973.54 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,027.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,077.75. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.94 billion, a PE ratio of 25.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $8.33 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.18%.

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.