4,538 Shares in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Bought by Eurizon SLJ Capital Ltd

Key Points

• Eurizon SLJ Capital Ltd initiated a new position in W.W. Grainger, buying 4,538 shares valued at about $4.58 million in the fourth quarter. The stake represents roughly 1.8% of its portfolio.
• Institutional ownership remains heavy, with investors such as Vanguard, State Street, Geode Capital, Northern Trust, and Massachusetts Financial Services all adding to their positions. About 80.7% of Grainger shares are held by institutions.
• Grainger reported strong quarterly results, including EPS of $11.65 versus expectations of $10.21 and revenue of $4.74 billion, up 10.1% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $2.49 per share.

Eurizon SLJ Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 4,538 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $4,579,000. W.W. Grainger comprises approximately 1.8% of Eurizon SLJ Capital Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.9% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,731,880 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,462,252,000 after purchasing an additional 104,607 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,996,053 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,902,159,000 after purchasing an additional 13,779 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,217,834 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,230,214,000 after purchasing an additional 10,533 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.5% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 659,158 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $628,151,000 after purchasing an additional 3,114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 477,693 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $482,016,000 after purchasing an additional 34,307 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on GWW. Wall Street Zen upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,047.00 to $1,171.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,212.88.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 2,339 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,064.73, for a total transaction of $2,490,403.47. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,897,511.55. This represents a 18.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total transaction of $1,795,446.53. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 2,232 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,750,471.28. This trade represents a 39.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 6,451 shares of company stock worth $7,380,743. 6.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,234.01 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $58.26 billion, a PE ratio of 33.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 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. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,166.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,089.45. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $906.52 and a one year high of $1,286.56.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $9.86 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. Research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a dividend of $2.49 per share. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.79%.

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.

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