AE Wealth Management LLC Boosts Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

AE Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 96.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 734 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 360 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $764,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.1% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,388,378 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,322,801,000 after acquiring an additional 57,690 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 10.1% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 822,411 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $812,403,000 after purchasing an additional 75,644 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 416,086 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $410,975,000 after buying an additional 6,797 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 306,829 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $303,095,000 after buying an additional 13,330 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at $285,574,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total value of $496,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,758,355.06. This represents a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $934.58 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $893.99 and a 12 month high of $1,227.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 1.64. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $967.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,012.89. The company has a market cap of $44.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.71, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $4.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.64 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.87 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 25.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Loop Capital cut their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price objective on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,018.00.

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.