Lazard Asset Management LLC Has $14.02 Million Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 25.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,684 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $14,024,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised 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 worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.1%

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,068.03 on Wednesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $874.98 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $995.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,065.54. The company has a market capitalization of $51.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.62 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on GWW shares. Wolfe Research lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,120.00.

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.