Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Buys 17,699 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 360,026 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 17,699 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.73% of W.W. Grainger worth $324,841,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 170.0% during the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 275.0% during the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% during the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth $41,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,008.21 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $961.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $954.95. The company has a market cap of $49.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $674.41 and a twelve month high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.28 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.64%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Baird R W downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective on the stock. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,014.11.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.