American Century Companies Inc. Purchases 5,743 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. has increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 9.5%, holding approximately $65.65 million worth of the company's shares, following an acquisition of additional shares.
• W.W. Grainger recently reported earnings of $9.97 EPS, missing analysts' estimates, but revenue increased by 5.6% year-over-year to $4.55 billion.
• The company's quarterly dividend of $2.26 per share will be paid to shareholders on September 1st, with an annualized yield of 0.9%.

American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 9.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 66,454 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,743 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 0.14% of W.W. Grainger worth $65,645,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,685.7% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 5,095 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $5,033,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 116.0% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 33,917 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $33,506,000 after purchasing an additional 18,216 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 701 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $692,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.8% in the 1st 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 purchasing an additional 564 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target 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. Loop Capital cut their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,080.38.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded up $26.5310 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $1,020.6010. The company had a trading volume of 333,372 shares, compared to its average volume of 348,754. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1,017.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,020.39. The company has a market capitalization of $48.82 billion, a PE ratio of 25.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 1.64. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $893.99 and a one year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.07 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.76 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be paid 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.