Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Grows Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 409.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 14,405 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,577 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $15,184,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised 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 worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $47,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $954.67 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market cap of $46.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $874.98 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,050.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,076.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $8.33 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on GWW. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,151.50.

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.