Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. Takes Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 17,243 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,227,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $942.43 on Friday. 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’s 50-day moving average price is $1,013.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,076.44. The company has a market capitalization of $45.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20.

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 return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same period last year, the company posted $8.33 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 21.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,130.89.

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.