W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd

Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd trimmed its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 15.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,022 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 889 shares during the quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,162,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $40,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $45,000. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 140.0% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 72 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.8 %

NYSE GWW traded down $7.50 during trading on Thursday, hitting $956.41. 20,337 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 233,000. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $641.95 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $971.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $903.59. The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market capitalization of $46.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.60, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.61 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.34 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on GWW shares. StockNews.com raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $938.89.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 9.50% of the stock is currently 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.