ING Groep NV Raises Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

ING Groep NV increased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 103.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,689 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 5,937 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $11,139,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.4% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,627,273 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,853,714,000 after purchasing an additional 238,895 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,982,274 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,062,041,000 after purchasing an additional 8,735 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,260,610 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,306,289,000 after purchasing an additional 23,418 shares in the last quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth $721,202,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth $536,916,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,163 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 103,885 shares in the company, valued at $101,035,434.45. This represents a 10.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,174 shares in the company, valued at $3,249,953.82. This represents a 5.79% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 26,881 shares of company stock valued at $26,157,155. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.2%

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,202.12 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $57.16 billion, a PE ratio of 33.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.10. The business’s 50 day moving average is $1,053.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,000.01. 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 52 week low of $893.99 and a 52 week high of $1,208.28.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.44 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates 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 was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.71 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. On average, analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th will be given a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.