Bellwether Advisors LLC Acquires 911 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Bellwether Advisors LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 220% in the first quarter, buying 911 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 1,325 shares worth about $1.45 million.
• W.W. Grainger reported better-than-expected Q1 results, with EPS of $11.65 beating estimates and revenue of $4.74 billion topping forecasts, while revenue rose 10.1% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $2.49 per share from $2.26, and analysts currently have a consensus Hold rating with a price target of about $1,230.11.

Bellwether Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 220.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,325 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 911 shares during the period. Bellwether Advisors LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,445,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. ABN Amro Investment Solutions increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.7% during the first quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 50,988 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $55,618,000 after buying an additional 1,332 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.3% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 48,452 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $52,852,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at approximately $191,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Finally, MWA Asset Management increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. MWA Asset Management now owns 1,923 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,098,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,359.40 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.69. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $906.52 and a fifty-two week high of $1,419.91. The firm has a market cap of $64.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.03. The business's 50 day moving average price is $1,317.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,184.68.

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

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $2.49 per share. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 26.79%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total transaction of $1,795,446.53. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 2,232 shares in the company, valued at $2,750,471.28. The trade was a 39.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total transaction of $1,051,325.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,554 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,913,067.24. The trade was a 35.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 2,624 shares of company stock worth $3,232,291 over the last 90 days. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,337.00 to $1,460.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,171.00 to $1,166.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Stephens cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $1,355.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,230.11.

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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