W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stock Position Lowered by Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. trimmed its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 16.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 86,309 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 17,073 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned about 0.18% of W.W. Grainger worth $90,974,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at about $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 313.3% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,603,000 after acquiring an additional 1,153 shares in the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 72.6% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $22,901,000 after buying an additional 9,270 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 27.0% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,312,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares during the period. Finally, Clark & Stuart Inc bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,741,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,113.89 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market cap of $54.25 billion, a PE ratio of 30.19, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $874.98 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $1,122.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,063.45.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The company’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.43 EPS. Research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,895,021.36. This trade represents a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,406 shares of company stock valued at $11,634,643. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price target 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. UBS Group started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 target price for the company. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,140.56.

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.