Arjuna Capital Has $4.59 Million Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Arjuna Capital grew its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,088 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger comprises about 1.2% of Arjuna Capital’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Arjuna Capital’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,591,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 119.5% during the fourth quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 2,364 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,287 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 36.6% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 9,506 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,664,000 after buying an additional 2,548 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 13,885 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $11,292,000 after buying an additional 1,432 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 108,933 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $90,272,000 after acquiring an additional 6,197 shares during the period. Finally, ORG Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,201.6% during the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $748,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE GWW traded up $16.88 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $984.92. The stock had a trading volume of 298,701 shares, compared to its average volume of 242,681. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $674.41 and a twelve month high of $1,034.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.30. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $947.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $953.16. The firm has a market cap of $48.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.28 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.1 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on GWW shares. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Baird R W downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,017.13.

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.