Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Has $31.40 Million Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 51.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 30,222 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,266 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $31,395,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Oppenheimer cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,205.87 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $58.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 1.15. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $772.13 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $1,110.47 and a 200-day moving average of $1,002.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $9.43 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.68%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.23%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares in the company, valued at $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at $4,895,021.36. This represents a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733 in the last three months. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

About W.W. Grainger

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.