Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Raises Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management increased its W.W. Grainger stake by 1,353.1% in the second quarter, holding 31,242 shares worth approximately $42.5 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.7% of the company.
• Grainger reported quarterly earnings of $12.01 per share, beating estimates of $11.30, while revenue rose 10.3% year over year to $5.02 billion. The company reaffirmed fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $45.50–$47.25.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly neutral, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $1,271.75. Grainger also declared a quarterly dividend of $2.49 per share, implying an annualized yield of about 0.8%.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 1,353.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 31,242 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 29,092 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.07% of W.W. Grainger worth $42,502,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Mattern Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 12,234 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $12,345,000 after buying an additional 563 shares in the last quarter. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $1,048,000. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 72.3% during the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 2,353 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,374,000 after acquiring an additional 987 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 526.9% during the 4th quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 1,655 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,670,000 after acquiring an additional 1,391 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invariant Investment Management purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $900,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total value of $385,518.97. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 399 shares of the company's stock, valued at $491,444.31. This represents a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total value of $1,795,446.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,232 shares in the company, valued at $2,750,471.28. This trade represents a 39.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 2,624 shares of company stock worth $3,232,291. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,460.00 to $1,428.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,260.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,350.00 to $1,375.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,271.75.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,277.63 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,342.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,212.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.81. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $906.52 and a one year high of $1,419.91. The company has a market cap of $60.18 billion, a PE ratio of 32.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.04.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $12.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $11.30 by $0.71. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 48.73%. The firm had revenue of $5.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.97 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 45.500-47.250 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 46.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be issued a $2.49 dividend. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.40%.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

W.W. Grainger, Inc NYSE: GWW is an industrial supply distributor founded in 1927 and headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois. The company supplies maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products and services to businesses, institutions and government customers. Over its long history Grainger has developed a broad product assortment and a national distribution network that supports operations across a range of end markets, including manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, transportation and public sector organizations.

Grainger's product portfolio spans core categories such as electrical and lighting, safety and personal protective equipment, material handling, motors and power transmission, plumbing and HVAC, fasteners and adhesives, hand and power tools, and janitorial and facility supplies.

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