Nomura Holdings Inc. Has $733,000 Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Nomura Holdings Inc. lessened its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 17.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 884 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 189 shares during the quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $733,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 3,178 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,633,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Ardevora Asset Management LLP acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $11,075,000. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 1,287 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 13,885 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $11,292,000 after purchasing an additional 1,432 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 108,933 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $90,272,000 after purchasing an additional 6,197 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on GWW. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Baird R W downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Stephens upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Loop Capital reduced their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $959.44.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $915.29 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.91 billion, a PE ratio of 25.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $674.41 and a 12-month high of $1,034.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $933.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $920.59.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during 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%. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.61 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. 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. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.