Citigroup Inc. Reduces Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Citigroup Inc. reduced its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 29.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 59,943 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 24,820 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc. owned 0.13% of W.W. Grainger worth $57,124,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Quaker Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Asset Dedication LLC grew its position 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 valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Accredited Investors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, Tobam increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3,900.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tobam now owns 40 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 3,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. The trade was a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 14,523 shares of the firm’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 of the company’s stock, valued at $104,929,232.22. This represents a 11.87% 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 in the last three months. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.8%

NYSE GWW opened at $1,118.58 on Tuesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $893.99 and a 12 month high of $1,218.63. 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 stock has a market cap of $52.99 billion, a PE ratio of 31.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $1,074.51 and its 200 day moving average is $1,007.89.

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 the consensus estimate 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 business earned $9.71 EPS. The company’s quarterly 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. Research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be paid a $2.26 dividend. 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 payout ratio is presently 25.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price 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 lifted 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. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated 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 for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.