Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Takes Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Eurizon Capital SGR opened a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter, buying 10,218 shares valued at about $10.3 million.
• W.W. Grainger reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $11.65 beating estimates and revenue of $4.74 billion topping forecasts, while revenue rose 10.1% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $2.49 per share, and analysts currently see the stock as a Hold with an average price target of $1,212.88.

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 10,218 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $10,318,000.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,047.00 to $1,171.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,212.88.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,234.01 on Monday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $906.52 and a 12-month high of $1,286.56. The stock has a market cap of $58.26 billion, a PE ratio of 33.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.04. The business has a 50 day moving average of $1,166.47 and a 200-day moving average of $1,090.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.The company had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.86 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.34 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be paid a $2.49 dividend. 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total transaction of $1,051,325.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,554 shares in the company, valued at $1,913,067.24. The trade was a 35.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total transaction of $1,658,048.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,541 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,745,625.48. This represents a 12.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,451 shares of company stock valued at $7,380,743. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

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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