Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Buys 523 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.2%, holding a value of approximately $16.66 million, which reflects growing institutional interest in the company.
• W.W. Grainger has been assigned various price targets by analysts, with the highest at $1,215.00 and the lowest at $950.00, indicating mixed sentiment around the stock's future performance.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $9.97, which was below analysts' estimates and represents a year-over-year increase from $9.76 EPS.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 3.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,861 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 523 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $16,656,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth $25,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 34.3% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 47 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $54,000. Finally, Columbia River Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth $65,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW stock traded up $26.5310 during trading on Friday, reaching $1,020.6010. The stock had a trading volume of 333,372 shares, compared to its average volume of 348,754. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $893.99 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The stock's 50 day moving average is $1,017.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,020.39. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The firm has a market cap of $48.82 billion, a PE ratio of 25.90, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 the consensus estimate of $4.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.76 EPS. The firm's 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. As a group, equities 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be issued a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.94%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price 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. Loop Capital dropped 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 report on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley dropped 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 report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped 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 report on Monday, August 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,080.38.

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.