Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC Purchases 33 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor 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 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.2% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 360,026 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $324,841,000 after acquiring an additional 17,699 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.1% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 324,367 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $336,956,000 after buying an additional 12,805 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 284,666 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $295,714,000 after buying an additional 8,552 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 243,470 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $219,386,000 after buying an additional 1,849 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 23.5% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $201,413,000 after buying an additional 36,892 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. This represents a 19.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW opened at $1,206.65 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $1,098.38 and a 200 day moving average of $997.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $772.13 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market cap 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $9.43 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 target price on the stock. Baird R W raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,109.00.

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.