Orange Investment Advisors Inc. Sells 906 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Orange Investment Advisors Inc. lowered its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 15.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,112 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 906 shares during the quarter. Orange Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,576,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 211.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW opened at $1,353.16 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $1,252.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,143.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.89 billion, a PE ratio of 36.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.04. 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 52 week low of $906.52 and a 52 week high of $1,390.96.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion for 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 quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.39 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total transaction of $1,051,325.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,554 shares in the company, valued at $1,913,067.24. This trade represents a 35.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total value of $1,658,048.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,541 shares in the company, valued at $11,745,625.48. This represents a 12.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 4,112 shares of company stock worth $4,890,339. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. DA Davidson started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 target price for the company. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,171.00 to $1,166.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,216.44.

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.