Meeder Asset Management Inc. Decreases Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. lessened its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 97.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 25 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 827 shares during the quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $26,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $535,910,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $175,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 694.1% in the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 76,674 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $80,818,000 after acquiring an additional 67,018 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 459,536 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $491,170,000 after acquiring an additional 58,978 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,006.70 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. The firm has a market cap of $48.54 billion, a PE ratio of 26.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,019.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,077.19. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 firm earned $8.33 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,151.50.

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.