3,125 Shares in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Acquired by Madison Asset Management LLC

Madison Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 3,125 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,251,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 420.0% in the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 26 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Finally, Caitlin John LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on GWW shares. Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Wall Street Zen raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, August 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,460.00 to $1,428.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,350.00 to $1,375.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,274.12.

Key W.W. Grainger News

Here are the key news stories impacting W.W. Grainger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its longer-term earnings outlook. Estimates increased for FY2026 EPS to $45.85 from $44.87, FY2027 EPS to $50.21 from $49.47, and FY2028 EPS to $54.17 from $53.10. Analysts also lifted several quarterly forecasts, including Q1 2027, Q2 2027, Q4 2027, Q1 2028 and Q2 2028. These revisions suggest improving expectations for Grainger’s earnings growth beyond the immediate quarter.
• Positive Sentiment: Grainger opened a new Northwest Distribution Center in Gresham, Oregon. The facility expands the company’s distribution infrastructure, supports local employment and strengthens its regional presence. While the announcement does not provide specific financial guidance, added capacity could support service levels and future sales growth. Grainger Opens Northwest Distribution Center in Gresham, Oregon
• Neutral Sentiment: The distribution-center opening is likely a gradual catalyst. The investment may improve logistics and customer fulfillment over time, but the company did not disclose the facility’s expected revenue, cost or earnings impact, limiting its immediate significance for the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed third-quarter EPS forecasts. Q3 2026 EPS expectations fell to $11.46 from $11.64, while Q3 2027 estimates declined to $12.77 from $12.87. The reductions point to somewhat softer near-term expectations and may be weighing on shares, despite the stronger full-year and later-period forecasts.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE GWW opened at $1,299.30 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $61.20 billion, a PE ratio of 33.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a fifty day moving average of $1,344.79 and a 200 day moving average of $1,228.96. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $906.52 and a 1 year high of $1,419.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 2.81 and a quick ratio of 1.70.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $12.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.30 by $0.71. The business had revenue of $5.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 48.73% and a net margin of 9.92%.The company’s revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.97 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 45.500-47.250 EPS. Research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 46.1 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a dividend of $2.49 per share. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.40%.

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.