Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. Has $2.01 Million Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 44.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,419 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,951 shares during the period. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,005,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of GWW. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at about $30,000. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,067 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $550,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 67.9% during the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 789 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $407,000 after acquiring an additional 319 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 33.6% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 26,661 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $13,947,000 after purchasing an additional 6,705 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 212.9% in the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 25,798 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $13,306,000 after purchasing an additional 17,553 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on GWW shares. Stephens increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 16th. Loop Capital lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price target for the company from $925.00 to $1,000.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $913.89.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total value of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total value of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.0 %

NYSE:GWW opened at $955.44 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $979.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $862.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $641.95 and a 12-month high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.05 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 56.54% and a net margin of 11.10%. The company’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $7.14 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 12th were issued a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 9th. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.55%.

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.