Erste Asset Management GmbH Has $3.03 Million Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Erste Asset Management GmbH significantly reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 79.4% in Q1, now holding 3,067 shares valued at $3,030,000.
• Despite recent divestments, other institutional investors have increased their stakes, with Brighton Jones LLC's holdings growing by 46.8% during the fourth quarter.
• W.W. Grainger's latest earnings report showed a profit of $9.97 EPS, missing estimates by $0.10, while forecasting a range of 38.500-40.250 EPS for FY 2025.

Erste Asset Management GmbH decreased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 79.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,067 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 11,803 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,030,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Vertex Planning Partners LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. Vertex Planning Partners LLC now owns 268 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 16,861 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $16,656,000 after buying an additional 523 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 10.9% during the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 18,682 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $18,455,000 after buying an additional 1,839 shares during the period. Andina Capital Management LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth $347,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 417.7% during the 1st quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 2,014 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,989,000 after buying an additional 1,625 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on GWW. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective 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. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective 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. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,080.38.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW traded up $26.5310 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $1,020.6010. The company's stock had a trading volume of 333,372 shares, compared to its average volume of 353,355. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,017.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,020.22. The company has a market capitalization of $48.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.90, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.18. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $893.99 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.76 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th will be paid a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.