Pitcairn Co. Has $3.02 Million Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Pitcairn Co. decreased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 15.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 2,866 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 511 shares during the period. Pitcairn Co.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,021,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 631 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $655,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $3,456,000. Ascent Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.8% during the third quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 304 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $316,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Centiva Capital LP bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at about $797,000. Finally, Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 498 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $517,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. 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 given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,006.70 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $1,019.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,077.19. 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 (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 net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $8.33 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. 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 payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

W.W. Grainger 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.