Invesco Ltd. Has $406.09 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Invesco Ltd. cut its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 20.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 411,096 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 103,230 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $406,093,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.1% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,388,378 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,322,801,000 after purchasing an additional 57,690 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 10.1% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 822,411 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $812,403,000 after acquiring an additional 75,644 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 100,843.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 692,469 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $684,042,000 after acquiring an additional 691,783 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 681,912 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $718,769,000 after purchasing an additional 84,595 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 584,854 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $616,465,000 after purchasing an additional 37,894 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $948.75 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $1,037.69 and a 200-day moving average of $1,027.58. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $893.99 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The company has a market cap of $45.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.07 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.76 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be issued a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 11th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.94%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total transaction of $301,056.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 6.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,080.38.

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.