American Century Companies Inc. Has $89.20 Million Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 29.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 85,751 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,297 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.18% of W.W. Grainger worth $89,202,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GWW. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 46.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $338,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 29.9% in the first quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 374 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $369,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.5% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 15,633 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $15,443,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 9.8% during the 1st quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,373 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,357,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 18,847 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $18,618,000 after buying an additional 373 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Barclays upped their price target 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 reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $1,009.43.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total value of $496,430.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,771 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,758,355.06. This trade represents a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 6.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW opened at $942.64 on Wednesday. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $893.99 and a 52-week high of $1,221.32. The firm has a market cap of $44.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.17. The business’s fifty day moving average is $956.39 and its 200-day moving average is $1,006.33.

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

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th will be given a dividend of $2.26 per share. 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 (DPR) is currently 25.35%.

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.