Advisors Preferred LLC Sells 2,746 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Advisors Preferred LLC cut its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 91.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 249 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,746 shares during the period. Advisors Preferred LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $235,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Quaker Wealth Management LLC raised 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 buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Asset Dedication LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 136.4% in the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 26 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, Tobam increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 3,900.0% during the second quarter. Tobam now owns 40 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting W.W. Grainger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised a string of medium‑ and long‑term EPS forecasts for Grainger (updating several quarters and FY2026–FY2028). Notable lifts include higher FY2026 and FY2027 outlooks and upward revisions for multiple 2027 quarters — a sign analysts see stronger earnings power over the next 12–24 months, which supports a higher valuation multiple for GWW.
• Neutral Sentiment: The MarketBeat feature on Genuine Parts Company’s planned Automotive/Industrial spin‑off highlights how pure‑play industrial distributors (including W.W. Grainger) trade at premium multiples vs. conglomerates. The piece suggests sector re‑rating potential if investors revalue industrial peers; useful for sentiment but not direct company news. The Hidden Value in Genuine Parts Company’s Spin-Off Plan
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also cut its near‑term estimate for Q1 2026 (to $10.09 from $10.40). That downward revision to the upcoming quarter increases short‑term uncertainty and can prompt profit‑taking or downside pressure even while longer‑term estimates rise.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total value of $199,666.35. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 3,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,249,953.82. This represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,163 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $972.57, for a total value of $11,829,368.91. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 103,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $101,035,434.45. The trade was a 10.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 26,881 shares of company stock valued at $26,157,155 over the last ninety days. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on GWW. Weiss Ratings raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of 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. Oppenheimer increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective 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 report on Monday, November 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,060.13.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW opened at $1,125.29 on Monday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $893.99 and a twelve month high of $1,218.63. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $1,072.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,006.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company has a market capitalization of $53.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.80, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.46 by ($0.01). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.51% and a return on equity of 47.46%. The company had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.39 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.71 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. Equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

W.W. Grainger Company 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.