Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Sells 305 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Bahl & Gaynor Inc. reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 5.4%, selling 305 shares to hold 5,338 shares valued at $5,273,000.
• W.W. Grainger reported $9.97 EPS in its latest quarterly earnings, missing analysts' expectations, despite a 5.6% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• Analysts have adjusted their price targets for W.W. Grainger, with JPMorgan raising its target to $1,125.00 while others have set lower targets, indicating a mixed outlook on the stock.

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. trimmed its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 5.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,338 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 305 shares during the quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,273,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 20.8% in 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 acquiring an additional 254 shares during the period. Groupe la Francaise lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 36.9% in the first quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 2,669 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,635,000 after acquiring an additional 719 shares during the period. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth approximately $282,000. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 44.8% in the first quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 2,286 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,258,000 after acquiring an additional 707 shares during the period. Finally, Allstate Corp lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 31.4% in the first quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 1,731 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,710,000 after acquiring an additional 414 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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 note 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 on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 11th. 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 on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Loop Capital cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,080.38.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.5%

GWW traded up $5.12 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $1,017.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 229,886 shares, compared to its average volume of 289,535. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $893.99 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $1,016.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,020.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.81, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued 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). 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 analyst estimates of $4.52 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $9.76 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger'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. Analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. 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%.

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.