AXQ Capital LP Invests $1.18 Million in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

AXQ Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,130 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,175,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Quaker Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 196.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 24 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 316.7% in the second quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 25 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Finally, Nova Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total value of $496,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares in the company, valued at $1,758,355.06. This represents a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $951.30 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $893.99 and a 52 week high of $1,227.44. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $959.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,008.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.82.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its 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. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%.The company had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.87 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 target price for the company. Barclays increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $1,018.00.

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.