BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $76.12 Million Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 75,434 shares valued at about $76.1 million.
• W.W. Grainger reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $11.65 beating estimates and revenue of $4.74 billion topping forecasts, while also lifting its full-year guidance and increasing its quarterly dividend to $2.49 per share.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with the stock carrying an average “Hold” rating and a consensus price target of $1,212.88, even as several firms recently raised their targets.

BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 5.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 75,434 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 3,829 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.16% of W.W. Grainger worth $76,117,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 211.1% in the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. State of Wyoming grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 650.0% in the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,242.55 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1,170.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,092.51. The company has a market cap of $58.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.42, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.04. 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 $1,286.56.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. The firm 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 company's revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.86 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Oppenheimer raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,212.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total transaction of $1,658,048.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,541 shares in the company, valued at $11,745,625.48. This represents a 12.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the senior vice president 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 6,451 shares of company stock valued at $7,380,743 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

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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