Dodge & Cox Makes New $344,000 Investment in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Dodge & Cox bought a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 500 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $344,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Clear Street Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Retirement Group LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2,450.0% during the 4th quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Optiver Holding B.V. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. 71.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $647.00 to $653.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 28th. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $775.00 target price on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, August 18th. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 31st. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $795.00 to $790.00 in a report on Friday, July 28th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $734.63.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $689.93 on Monday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $483.19 and a 12 month high of $811.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 2.78 and a quick ratio of 1.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.21. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $733.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $702.24.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The industrial products company reported $9.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.96 by $0.32. The company had revenue of $4.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.04% and a return on equity of 60.40%. The company’s revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $7.19 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 36.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 14th were given a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.08%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 11th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 21.44%.

About W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services in the United States, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety and security supplies, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance supplies, and metalworking and hand tools.