Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Purchases 30,886 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 28.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 140,047 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 30,886 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger comprises about 0.7% of Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ owned approximately 0.29% of W.W. Grainger worth $148,199,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Avestar Capital LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.0% during the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 467 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $485,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the period. Busey Bank raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Busey Bank now owns 615 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $648,000 after buying an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 438 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $462,000 after buying an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Welch & Forbes LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 481 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $507,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised 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 report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $967.57 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $46.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,050.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,076.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $874.98 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly 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 prior year, the company posted $8.33 EPS. Analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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