W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Purchased by Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 176.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,558 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 995 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger accounts for 0.7% of Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,485,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Quaker Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Asset Dedication LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tobam grew 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 valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock opened at $1,105.17 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $1,080.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,010.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.83 and a quick ratio of 1.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.10. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $893.99 and a 1 year high of $1,218.63.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.46 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.39 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.46% and a net margin of 9.51%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.71 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be issued a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on GWW. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of 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. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Barclays increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,060.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total transaction of $199,666.35. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,249,953.82. The trade was a 5.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,163 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 103,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $101,035,434.45. This represents a 10.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 26,881 shares of company stock valued at $26,157,155. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

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.