W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Bought by Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC

Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 391 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $406,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. EntryPoint Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 537.5% during the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth $201,000. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth $208,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 36.6% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 9,506 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,664,000 after purchasing an additional 2,548 shares during the period. Finally, Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.8% in the first quarter. Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC now owns 2,801 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,849,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,513,055.31. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This represents a 11.65 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Northcoast Research started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target for the company. Finally, Loop Capital lifted 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 issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of GWW opened at $1,206.65 on Monday. 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 50-day moving average is $1,098.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $997.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $772.13 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.71, a PEG ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.15.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.43 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 dividend yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

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.