Bank of America Corp DE Grows Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Bank of America increased its W.W. Grainger stake by 4.5% in the first quarter, owning 527,969 shares worth approximately $575.9 million. Institutional investors collectively hold 80.7% of the company.
• Grainger exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $11.65 in adjusted EPS versus the $10.21 consensus and $4.74 billion in revenue, up 10.1% year over year. The company guided to fiscal 2026 EPS of $44.25–$46.25.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with a consensus “Hold” rating and $1,230.11 target price, below the stock’s recent $1,385.45 price. Grainger also declared a quarterly dividend of $2.49 per share, representing a 0.7% annualized yield.

Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 4.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 527,969 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 22,731 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE owned 1.12% of W.W. Grainger worth $575,914,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Caitlin John LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 34.5% during the 1st quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Wall Street Zen lowered W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,337.00 to $1,460.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Barclays cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,171.00 to $1,166.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,230.11.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 2.2%

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,385.45 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $65.41 billion, a PE ratio of 37.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.03. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1,336.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,203.45. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $906.52 and a 12-month high of $1,419.91. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $9.86 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a dividend of $2.49 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 26.79%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 399 shares in the company, valued at $491,444.31. This trade represents a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total value of $1,051,325.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,554 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,913,067.24. This represents a 35.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 2,624 shares of company stock valued at $3,232,291 over the last quarter. 6.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About W.W. Grainger

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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