Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $431.43 Million Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 409,289 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 20,176 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.84% of W.W. Grainger worth $431,428,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 498 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $517,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,675,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.7% during the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 2,385 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,477,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at $848,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 6,115 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $6,352,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.7 %

GWW stock traded down $6.74 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $992.11. 184,088 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 254,478. The stock's fifty day moving average is $987.29 and its 200-day moving average is $1,070.11. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $874.98 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The company has a market cap of $47.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $8.33 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 21.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,130.89.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.