Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Boosts Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 15.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,222 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 698 shares during the quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,976,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Quaker Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 196.0% in the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 24 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. lifted 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 worth $26,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 136.4% during the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 26 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 14,523 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $972.81, for a total value of $14,128,119.63. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 107,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $104,929,232.22. This represents a 11.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total transaction of $199,666.35. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,249,953.82. This trade represents a 5.79% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 26,881 shares of company stock worth $26,157,155. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,030.73 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $968.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $993.64. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $893.99 and a 12-month high of $1,139.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.90, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.11.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.95 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.64 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.40% and a net margin of 9.75%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm 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 anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 25.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on GWW. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target 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, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $1,009.43.

About W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc (NYSE: GWW) is an industrial supply distributor founded in 1927 and headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois. The company supplies maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products and services to businesses, institutions and government customers. Over its long history Grainger has developed a broad product assortment and a national distribution network that supports operations across a range of end markets, including manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, transportation and public sector organizations.

Grainger’s product portfolio spans core categories such as electrical and lighting, safety and personal protective equipment, material handling, motors and power transmission, plumbing and HVAC, fasteners and adhesives, hand and power tools, and janitorial and facility supplies.