W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Acquired by Acadian Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 17.1% in the first quarter, acquiring an additional 30,208 shares, bringing its total holdings to 206,593 shares valued at approximately $204 million.
• W.W. Grainger reported a quarterly earnings miss with an EPS of $9.97, falling short of analysts' estimates, while its revenue increased by 5.6% year-over-year, totaling $4.55 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $2.26, with an annualized dividend yield of 0.9% and a payout ratio of 22.94%.

Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 17.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 206,593 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 30,208 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.43% of W.W. Grainger worth $204,057,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 34.3% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 47 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Ransom Advisory Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth about $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW traded down $9.77 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $1,004.92. 276,533 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 297,168. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,008.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,018.82. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $893.99 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The business's revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $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 forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,035.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Loop Capital reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,069.13.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total transaction of $496,430.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,771 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,758,355.06. This represents a 22.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

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.