B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Lowers Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG decreased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 11,070 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 108 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $11,677,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $973.54 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $46.94 billion, a PE ratio of 25.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1,027.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,077.75. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $8.33 EPS. Equities research analysts predict 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of 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. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.