4,633,213 Shares in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Purchased by BlackRock Inc.

Key Points

• BlackRock acquired 4.63 million shares of W.W. Grainger worth approximately $6.3 billion, giving it a 9.84% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 80.70% of the company.
• Grainger exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $12.01 in earnings per share versus the $11.30 consensus and $5.02 billion in revenue. Quarterly revenue increased 10.3% year over year, while fiscal 2026 EPS guidance is $45.50–$47.25.
• Analysts maintain a generally cautious outlook, with a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,274.12. The company also declared a $2.49 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a $9.96 annualized payout and a 0.8% yield.

BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 4,633,213 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $6,303,024,000. BlackRock Inc. owned about 9.84% of W.W. Grainger as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,462.1% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,071,854 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,081,554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,003,237 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $518,958,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 34,269.9% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 435,466 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $439,407,000 after buying an additional 434,199 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 61.1% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,027,286 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,036,584,000 after buying an additional 389,589 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sustainable Growth Advisers LP purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth about $239,597,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,166.00 to $1,185.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of 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. Stephens cut W.W. Grainger from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $1,355.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,274.12.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,319.00 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 2.81 and a quick ratio of 1.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.04. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $906.52 and a one year high of $1,419.91. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $1,345.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,224.11.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $12.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $11.30 by $0.71. The company had revenue of $5.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 48.73% and a net margin of 9.92%.W.W. Grainger's quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.97 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 45.500-47.250 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 46.14 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be issued a $2.49 dividend. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio 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.

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