Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey Purchases 375 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 5.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,717 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 375 shares during the quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $6,987,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fiduciary Alliance LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at $274,000. Pure Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth about $287,000. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 128.8% in the second quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 2,128 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,214,000 after purchasing an additional 1,198 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 7.5% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 15,989 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $15,795,000 after purchasing an additional 1,120 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.8% during the second quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 19,712 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,455,000 after purchasing an additional 1,428 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.0%

GWW opened at $925.90 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $893.99 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.03 billion, a PE ratio of 23.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 1.64. The company’s 50-day moving average is $966.41 and its 200 day moving average is $1,012.29.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.95 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $4.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.64 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.87 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be paid a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 10th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.35%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total value of $496,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,758,355.06. This trade represents a 22.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on GWW shares. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Barclays lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $1,018.00.

About W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services primarily in North America, Japan, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety, security, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance, and metalworking and hand tools.