W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Acquired by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 97,447 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,814 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.20% of W.W. Grainger worth $92,832,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quaker Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 196.0% in the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 24 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Asset Dedication LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 136.4% in the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 26 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Accredited Investors Inc. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, Tobam raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 3,900.0% during the second quarter. Tobam now owns 40 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 3.4%

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,143.17 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $54.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.30, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.10. 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 $1,082.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,011.98. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $893.99 and a twelve month high of $1,218.63.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.45 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.46 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.39 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.46% and a net margin of 9.51%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.71 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. Research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. This represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 14,523 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $972.81, for a total value of $14,128,119.63. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 26,881 shares of company stock worth $26,157,155. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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 report on Friday, February 6th. Three 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,060.13.

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.