Rhumbline Advisers Boosts Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 96,382 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,596 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers’ holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $91,848,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 15.1% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 7,523 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,169,000 after purchasing an additional 987 shares in the last quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 20.4% during the third quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 5,947 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,667,000 after buying an additional 1,008 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 10.4% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 44,968 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,853,000 after buying an additional 4,228 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 60,164 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $57,334,000 after buying an additional 2,120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 109,723 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $104,562,000 after acquiring an additional 2,548 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,117.30 on Friday. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $1,056.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,000.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.13 billion, a PE ratio of 31.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.10.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.46 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.39 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.51% and a return on equity of 47.46%. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be given a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 25.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. This trade represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 14,523 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $972.81, for a total transaction of $14,128,119.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 107,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $104,929,232.22. The trade was a 11.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 26,881 shares of company stock worth $26,157,155 in the last ninety days. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,060.13.

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.