Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group Decreases Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group decreased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 22.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,102 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 317 shares during the quarter. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,162,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of 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 assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.4 %

NYSE:GWW opened at $967.57 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.00, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $874.98 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $1,050.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,076.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $8.33 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

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.