W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Acquired by APG Asset Management N.V.

Key Points

• APG Asset Management N.V. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 2.5%, totaling 24,400 shares valued at approximately $22.31 million.
• W.W. Grainger reported earnings per share of $9.97 for the last quarter, missing estimates by $0.10, but had revenue of $4.55 billion, exceeding expectations.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $2.26 per share, with a payout ratio of 22.94% and an annualized yield of 0.9%.

APG Asset Management N.V. lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 2.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 24,400 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. owned about 0.05% of W.W. Grainger worth $22,314,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.7% during the first quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 602 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $587,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 20.8% during the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,477 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,459,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Groupe la Francaise raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 36.9% during the first quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 2,669 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,635,000 after purchasing an additional 719 shares during the last quarter. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth approximately $282,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 44.8% during the first quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 2,286 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,258,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Loop Capital cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on 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. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,080.38.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW stock traded up $5.12 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $1,017.08. The stock had a trading volume of 229,886 shares, compared to its average volume of 365,836. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $893.99 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The company has a market cap of $48.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.18. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,015.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,019.99. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.76 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue 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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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

About W.W. Grainger

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.