Equitable Holdings Inc. Takes $1.27 Million Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Equitable Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 936 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,274,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of GWW. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at $6,303,024,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,462.1% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,071,854 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,081,554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,003,237 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $518,958,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $621,127,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 34,269.9% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 435,466 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $439,407,000 after buying an additional 434,199 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.2%

GWW opened at $1,305.72 on Friday. 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 capitalization of $61.50 billion, a PE ratio of 33.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 2.81 and a quick ratio of 1.70. The company's 50-day moving average is $1,342.92 and its 200 day moving average is $1,234.83.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $12.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $11.30 by $0.71. The business had revenue of $5.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 48.73% and a net margin of 9.92%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $9.97 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 45.500-47.250 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 46.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a dividend of $2.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 25.40%.

Key W.W. Grainger News

Here are the key news stories impacting W.W. Grainger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded GWW to a No. 2 (Buy) rank, citing growing optimism about the company’s earnings prospects. Zacks rating upgrade article
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple future EPS estimates, including FY2027 to $50.40 from $50.21 and FY2028 to $54.37 from $54.17. Estimates were also increased for Q1 2027, Q2 2027, Q4 2027 and Q2 2028, suggesting modestly improving expectations for profitability. MarketBeat analyst estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Grainger’s latest reported quarter exceeded expectations, with EPS of $12.01 versus the $11.30 consensus and revenue of $5.02 billion versus $4.96 billion. Revenue increased 10.3% year over year, supporting the case for continued earnings growth.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street commentary is mixed: GWW has outperformed the broader market over the past year, but analysts remain cautious about its future upside. Barchart analyst outlook article
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation may be limiting enthusiasm. Grainger trades at roughly 33 times earnings, while its shares are below the 50-day moving average after approaching a 12-month high. Investors may be taking profits or demanding stronger estimate increases before bidding the stock higher. MSN analyst outlook article

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GWW. DA Davidson upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,260.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings raised W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, August 9th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,350.00 to $1,375.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,286.62.

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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