BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Sells 3,960 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• BI Asset Management cut its W.W. Grainger stake by 26.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 3,960 shares and leaving it with 10,947 shares valued at about $11.0 million.
• W.W. Grainger reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $11.65 beating estimates and revenue of $4.74 billion topping expectations; revenue also rose 10.1% year over year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $2.49 per share from $2.26, while analysts currently have a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $1,212.88.

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S reduced its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 26.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,947 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,960 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $11,046,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 211.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. State of Wyoming raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 650.0% in the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $57,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 2,339 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,064.73, for a total transaction of $2,490,403.47. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,897,511.55. This represents a 18.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 6,451 shares of company stock worth $7,380,743 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock opened at $1,300.83 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $1,188.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,101.24. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $906.52 and a 12-month high of $1,306.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.99, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.04. 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 quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.86 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.34 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $2.49 per share. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,212.88.

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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