US Bancorp DE Sells 780 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

US Bancorp DE cut its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 55,233 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 780 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $58,219,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $175,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 694.1% in the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 76,674 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $80,818,000 after acquiring an additional 67,018 shares during the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter valued at $55,815,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,653.7% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 56,978 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $60,058,000 after acquiring an additional 53,729 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,997,191 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,074,702,000 after purchasing an additional 45,369 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,021.00 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.38, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The business has a fifty day moving average of $1,063.16 and a 200 day moving average of $1,074.76.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (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 prior year, the company earned $8.33 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,148.56.

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.