845 Shares in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Bought by Applied Finance Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Applied Finance Capital Management LLC purchased 845 shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc., representing an investment of approximately $879,000.
• Recent analyst activity includes a "buy" rating from Weiss Ratings and a price target adjustment from Barclays, which set an "underweight" rating at $963.00.
• W.W. Grainger's latest earnings report showed $9.97 EPS, missing estimates by ($0.10), while revenue increased 5.6% year-over-year.

Applied Finance Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 845 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $879,000.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Hilltop National Bank bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 316.7% in the second quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 25 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Nova Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 52.6% in the second quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $963.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,053.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total value of $496,430.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,758,355.06. This trade represents a 22.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $956.36 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $982.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,015.00. The firm has a market cap of $45.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.27, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $893.99 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $10.07 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%.W.W. Grainger's revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.76 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th were paid a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.94%.

W.W. Grainger Profile

W.W. Grainger, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services primarily in North America, Japan, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety, security, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance, and metalworking and hand tools.

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