Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Has $18.53 Million Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 17,577 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $18,527,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter valued at approximately $75,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective 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 report 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. 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. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,012.26 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $1,064.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,073.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. The firm has a market cap of $48.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 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 period in the previous year, the company earned $8.33 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 21.18%.

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.