California Public Employees Retirement System Has $133.60 Million Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

California Public Employees Retirement System trimmed its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 122,476 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 5,058 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $133,598,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 1,462.1% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,071,854 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,081,554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,003,237 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $518,958,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 34,269.9% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 435,466 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $439,407,000 after buying an additional 434,199 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 61.1% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,027,286 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,036,584,000 after buying an additional 389,589 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sustainable Growth Advisers LP bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $239,597,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total value of $385,518.97. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 399 shares in the company, valued at $491,444.31. This trade represents a 43.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total transaction of $1,051,325.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,554 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,913,067.24. This represents a 35.47% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 2,624 shares of company stock valued at $3,232,291. Company insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,392.73 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,312.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,178.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.69. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $906.52 and a twelve month high of $1,419.91. The company has a market capitalization of $65.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.46, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.03.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.86 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.46 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $2.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,337.00 to $1,460.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday. Stephens downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $1,355.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, DA Davidson started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,230.11.

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.