Aberdeen Group plc Reduces Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc significantly reduced its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 76.0% during Q1, ending with 39,330 shares valued at approximately $38.4 million.
• W.W. Grainger's latest earnings report revealed an EPS of $9.97, missing the consensus estimate by $0.10, despite revenue growing 5.6% year-over-year to $4.55 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $2.26, with a yield of 0.9% and a current dividend payout ratio of 22.94%.

Aberdeen Group plc decreased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 76.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 39,330 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 124,650 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.08% of W.W. Grainger worth $38,444,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 1,685.7% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $123,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 5.3% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 5,095 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $5,033,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 116.0% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 33,917 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $33,506,000 after acquiring an additional 18,216 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 701 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $692,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 8.8% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,970 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $6,796,000 after acquiring an additional 564 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on GWW. 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 report on Friday, July 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Loop Capital lowered their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,080.38.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total transaction of $301,056.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded down $5.8440 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $993.7860. The company's stock had a trading volume of 323,942 shares, compared to its average volume of 288,331. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 1.64. The company has a market capitalization of $47.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.18. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $1,020.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,021.06.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.07 by ($0.10). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The business had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.76 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be issued a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio 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.