Centerstone Investors LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Centerstone Investors LLC drastically reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger by 76.9% during the first quarter, leaving it with only 669 shares valued at $661,000.
• Various large investors, including Brighton Jones LLC and Aptus Capital Advisors LLC, have increased their holdings in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter, showing mixed investment strategies among institutions.
• W.W. Grainger reported $9.97 EPS for the last quarter, falling short of analysts' estimates, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $2.26 per share.

Centerstone Investors LLC lessened its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 76.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 669 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,225 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger comprises 1.6% of Centerstone Investors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Centerstone Investors LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $661,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.2% during the first quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 74,790 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $73,880,000 after buying an additional 1,617 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 15.0% during the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,334 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $7,245,000 after buying an additional 955 shares during the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,072,000. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 18.4% during the first quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 5,192 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $5,130,000 after buying an additional 806 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.7% during the first quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,505 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $8,402,000 after buying an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on GWW shares. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,035.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Loop Capital cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,069.13.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW stock traded up $3.97 on Monday, hitting $997.44. 300,445 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 290,430. The firm has a market cap of $47.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.31, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $893.99 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,012.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,019.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 1.64.

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 firm had revenue of $4.55 billion for 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $9.76 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th were given a dividend of $2.26 per share. 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 (DPR) is presently 22.94%.

W.W. Grainger 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.