Algebris UK Ltd Buys Shares of 1,138 W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Algebris UK Ltd purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,138 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,158,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 30.4% in the fourth quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $488,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 9,687 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,211,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $6,627,000. Horizon Investments LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 1,809 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,903,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,379 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,724,000 after buying an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on GWW shares. StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $974.12 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $874.98 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The company has a market capitalization of $46.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a 50 day moving average of $1,043.54 and a 200 day moving average of $1,076.79.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 previous year, the company posted $8.33 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.