American International Group Inc. Sells 129 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

American International Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 12,366 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 129 shares during the period. American International Group Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $10,248,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 3,178 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,633,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Ardevora Asset Management LLP bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $11,075,000. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 119.5% in the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 2,364 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,959,000 after buying an additional 1,287 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 11.5% during 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 acquiring an additional 1,432 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $917.45 on Tuesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $674.41 and a 1 year high of $1,034.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $939.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $918.82. The firm has a market cap of $45.02 billion, a PE ratio of 25.33, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.61 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.34 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th were issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 10th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.89%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GWW. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Loop Capital dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Stephens raised W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Robert W. Baird lowered W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $959.44.

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.