Axa S.A. Reduces Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Axa S.A. cut its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 8.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 53,807 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,986 shares during the period. Axa S.A.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $48,547,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at $281,104,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 17.4% in the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,167,913,000 after purchasing an additional 169,897 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth about $159,365,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 563.3% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 72,300 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $65,232,000 after buying an additional 61,400 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 67.9% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 143,193 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $129,175,000 after buying an additional 57,894 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,032.16 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.50, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $674.41 and a 12 month high of $1,049.02. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $974.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $957.40. 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 (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.28 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.