AMF Tjanstepension AB Has $9.58 Million Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

AMF Tjanstepension AB decreased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 31.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,417 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,234 shares during the period. AMF Tjanstepension AB’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $9,583,000 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. increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $2,633,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Ardevora Asset Management LLP acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $11,075,000. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 119.5% during 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 acquiring an additional 1,287 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $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.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total transaction of $467,667.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. Loop Capital lowered their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 29th. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. UBS Group raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Stephens raised W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $959.44.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $902.24 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market capitalization of $44.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $674.41 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $928.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $924.92.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.61 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.22 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 10th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.64%.

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.