Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 78 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 6.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,237 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,285,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.5% in the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 2,535 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,633,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 6.9% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,862 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,934,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 4.2% during the third quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 347 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $360,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Arjuna Capital lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.5% in the third quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 5,164 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,364,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Saturna Capital Corp boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Saturna Capital Corp now owns 81,980 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $85,162,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,178.33 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,078.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $988.02. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $772.13 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.15.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.43 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.91 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th will be paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This represents a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on GWW shares. StockNews.com raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Oppenheimer lowered W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. UBS Group started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 target price for the company. Finally, Loop Capital boosted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,086.50.

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.