Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Grows Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 25.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 24,282 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,859 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd owned approximately 0.05% of W.W. Grainger worth $23,019,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Quaker Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 196.0% in the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 24 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Asset Dedication LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 136.4% in the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 26 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Accredited Investors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth $25,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total transaction of $199,666.35. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 3,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,249,953.82. This represents a 5.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 14,523 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $972.81, for a total transaction of $14,128,119.63. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 107,862 shares in the company, valued at $104,929,232.22. This represents a 11.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 26,881 shares of company stock worth $26,157,155 in the last three months. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,079.42 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $51.33 billion, a PE ratio of 30.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 1.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $893.99 and a 1-year high of $1,103.69. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1,016.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $992.22.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.95 by $0.26. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.75% and a return on equity of 49.40%. The firm had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.64 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $9.87 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th will be paid a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 25.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price objective for the company. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $1,250.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,045.75.

About W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc (NYSE: GWW) is an industrial supply distributor founded in 1927 and headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois. The company supplies maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products and services to businesses, institutions and government customers. Over its long history Grainger has developed a broad product assortment and a national distribution network that supports operations across a range of end markets, including manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, transportation and public sector organizations.

Grainger’s product portfolio spans core categories such as electrical and lighting, safety and personal protective equipment, material handling, motors and power transmission, plumbing and HVAC, fasteners and adhesives, hand and power tools, and janitorial and facility supplies.