Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Takes $3.18 Million Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 3,013 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,176,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. Royal Bank of Canada reduced 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Northcoast Research started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price 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. Finally, UBS Group began 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 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $998.55 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,070.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,074.28. 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 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market cap of $48.15 billion, a PE ratio of 25.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.17.

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 the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the prior year, the company posted $8.33 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders 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 0.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

About W.W. Grainger

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.