Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Has $47.97 Million Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lessened its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 43,974 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,744 shares during the quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership owned approximately 0.09% of W.W. Grainger worth $47,967,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,462.1% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,071,854 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,081,554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,003,237 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $518,958,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 34,269.9% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 435,466 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $439,407,000 after purchasing an additional 434,199 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 61.1% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,027,286 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,036,584,000 after purchasing an additional 389,589 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sustainable Growth Advisers LP bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth $239,597,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total value of $1,795,446.53. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 2,232 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,750,471.28. This trade represents a 39.50% 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 Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total value of $385,518.97. Following the sale, the vice president owned 399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $491,444.31. This represents a 43.96% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 2,624 shares of company stock valued at $3,232,291. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.1%

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,397.48 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.59, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.03. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,326.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,194.83. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $906.52 and a 12 month high of $1,419.91.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. Analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were given a $2.49 dividend. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on GWW shares. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,337.00 to $1,460.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. Stephens downgraded W.W. Grainger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $1,355.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,230.11.

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.