Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Raises Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 10.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 44,968 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,228 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $42,853,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Quaker Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 196.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 316.7% during the second quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 25 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,056.47 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $1,002.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $991.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.24 billion, a PE ratio of 29.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 1.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $893.99 and a 12 month high of $1,139.15.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.95 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $4.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.64 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.40% and a net margin of 9.75%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $9.87 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were given a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,163 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $972.57, for a total transaction of $11,829,368.91. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total value of $199,666.35. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 3,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. This represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 26,881 shares of company stock valued at $26,157,155 in the last three months. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,045.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on 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. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. One investment 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.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $1,016.57.

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.