Baird Financial Group Inc. Has $5.26 Million Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 7.3%, owning 5,329 shares valued at $5.26 million after selling 420 shares in Q1.
• Recent changes in institutional investor positions include Golden State Wealth Management dramatically increasing its stake by 1,685.7% and others also boosting their holdings during the same period.
• W.W. Grainger reported Q2 earnings of $9.97 EPS, falling short of the $10.07 consensus estimate, with a revenue of $4.55 billion, which was slightly above expectations.

Baird Financial Group Inc. decreased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 7.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,329 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 420 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,264,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GWW. Kodai Capital Management LP acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth about $67,601,000. Evergreen Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 39.2% in the 1st quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 334 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $330,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 64.3% in the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 67,185 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $66,367,000 after buying an additional 26,289 shares in the last quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 8,449 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $8,346,000 after buying an additional 465 shares during the period. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at $119,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW traded up $0.66 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $995.51. The company had a trading volume of 343,001 shares, compared to its average volume of 287,760. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $893.99 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $1,010.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,018.69. The company has a market capitalization of $47.62 billion, a PE ratio of 25.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.82.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 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 company had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.76 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th were paid a $2.26 dividend. 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 (DPR) is 22.94%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Loop Capital dropped 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 note on Monday, August 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of 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. Morgan Stanley cut 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,035.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,069.13.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.