The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Has $27.92 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 26,877 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.06% of W.W. Grainger worth $27,920,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. DRW Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $336,000. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.7% in the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 1,030 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,070,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth approximately $381,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth approximately $231,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 5,868 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,096,000 after purchasing an additional 593 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 19.78 % 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 valued at $52,640,733 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective 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. Oppenheimer cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.1 %

GWW opened at $1,206.50 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $1,113.99 and a 200-day moving average of $1,004.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $775.00 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66.

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

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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

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.