10,038 Shares in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Purchased by Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 10,038 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,057,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,167,913,000 after purchasing an additional 169,897 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 689,090 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $571,042,000 after acquiring an additional 11,460 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $392,470,000. FIL Ltd raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 21.4% during the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 240,856 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $199,595,000 after purchasing an additional 42,395 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at about $159,365,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $972.14 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $953.40 and its 200 day moving average is $954.08. The company has a market cap of $47.47 billion, a PE ratio of 26.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 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 $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.28 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.71 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total transaction of $467,667.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 9.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Baird R W lowered W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.