W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) CFO Deidra Merriwether Sells 1,488 Shares of Stock

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) CFO Deidra Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total transaction of $1,658,048.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 10,541 shares in the company, valued at $11,745,625.48. This represents a 12.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.0%

GWW stock opened at $1,118.40 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. 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 50 day moving average of $1,109.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,026.76. The company has a market cap of $52.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.60, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.09.

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 firm had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.71 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter 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, equities 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 25.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays boosted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,044.00 to $1,047.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,096.71.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Stance Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 197.6% during the 4th quarter. Stance Capital LLC now owns 3,982 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,018,000 after buying an additional 2,644 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 79.2% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 3,764 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,799,000 after purchasing an additional 1,664 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 1,392 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,404,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $605,000. Finally, Bayban acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $92,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.