Birmingham Capital Management Co. Inc. AL Sells 1,114 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Birmingham Capital Management Co. Inc. AL sold 1,114 shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. during the second quarter, reducing its holdings by 46.4% to 1,286 shares, worth approximately $1.34 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Brighton Jones LLC and Running Oak Capital LLC, have increased their stakes in W.W. Grainger, indicating continued interest despite the recent share sell-offs.
• The stock received mixed analyst ratings, with targets ranging from $963 to $1,050, and a consensus rating of "Hold," reflecting uncertainty about its future performance.

Birmingham Capital Management Co. Inc. AL decreased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 46.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,286 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,114 shares during the quarter. Birmingham Capital Management Co. Inc. AL's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,338,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 46.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $338,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 701 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $692,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 9.4% in the 1st quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $253,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 308 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $304,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Running Oak Capital LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 16.7% during the 1st quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC now owns 15,823 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $15,630,000 after purchasing an additional 2,268 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total value of $496,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,771 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,758,355.06. This represents a 22.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $963.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price 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. Morgan Stanley cut their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,053.71.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $956.36 on Monday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $982.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,015.35. The company has a market capitalization of $45.74 billion, a PE ratio of 24.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $893.99 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The business's revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.76 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th were issued a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 11th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.94%.

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.

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