W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stake Raised by APG Asset Management N.V.

APG Asset Management N.V. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 187.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,065 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 3,300 shares during the quarter. APG Asset Management N.V.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,264,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 170.0% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 275.0% during the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $41,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,014.11.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,035.94 on Monday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $674.41 and a fifty-two week high of $1,049.02. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $977.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $958.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The firm has a market cap of $50.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.60, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.16.

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

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

W.W. Grainger 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.