W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Stock Position Lifted by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 167,786 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 722 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC owned 0.35% of W.W. Grainger worth $159,893,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Quaker Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Asset Dedication LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 136.4% during the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 26 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tobam lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3,900.0% during the 2nd quarter. Tobam now owns 40 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $1,198.11 on Monday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $893.99 and a 1 year high of $1,204.36. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,038.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $996.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company has a market cap of $56.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.10.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.46 by ($0.02). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.46% and a net margin of 9.51%.The firm had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.39 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.71 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th will be paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.54%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 14,523 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 107,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $104,929,232.22. This trade represents a 11.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president owned 3,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. The trade was a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 26,881 shares of company stock worth $26,157,155. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of 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. Barclays raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 target price on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,060.13.

W.W. Grainger Profile

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.