Squarepoint Ops LLC Increases Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 56.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 71,966 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,833 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned 0.15% of W.W. Grainger worth $64,931,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP boosted its stake 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 worth $1,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,287 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 36.6% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 9,506 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,664,000 after acquiring an additional 2,548 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1,201.6% during the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $748,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 11.2% in the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 59,822 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $60,857,000 after acquiring an additional 6,042 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 576.3% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 5,559 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,655,000 after acquiring an additional 4,737 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of GWW opened at $1,040.71 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.73, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.40. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $674.41 and a 1-year high of $1,046.71. The company has a 50-day moving average of $973.26 and a 200 day moving average of $956.88.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $9.28 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 22.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Baird R W cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,014.11.

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.