American Century Companies Inc. Has $20.14 Million Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 13.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 29,515 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 3,478 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 0.06% of W.W. Grainger worth $20,138,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 565.7% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,222 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,219,000 after buying an additional 2,738 shares during the period. USS Investment Management Ltd raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd now owns 9,072 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,046,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 67,432 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $37,513,000 after purchasing an additional 3,022 shares during the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 518 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $288,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 13.2% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 65,782 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $36,591,000 after purchasing an additional 7,657 shares during the last quarter. 71.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $647.00 to $653.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 28th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $775.00 price target on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, August 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $795.00 to $790.00 in a research note on Friday, July 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $734.63.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $725.31 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a fifty day moving average of $742.60 and a 200-day moving average of $700.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $483.19 and a twelve month high of $811.60.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The industrial products company reported $9.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.96 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $4.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.04% and a return on equity of 60.40%. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $7.19 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 36.05 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 11th. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.03%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.44%.

W.W. Grainger Profile

W.W. Grainger, Inc distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services in the United States, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety and security supplies, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance supplies, and metalworking and hand tools.