First Trust Advisors LP Buys 2,975 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• First Trust Advisors increased its W.W. Grainger stake by 21.2% in the first quarter, acquiring 2,975 additional shares for a total of 17,013 shares valued at $18.6 million. Institutional investors own approximately 80.7% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with two Buy, eight Hold and one Sell rating, producing a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $1,230.11.
• Grainger reported quarterly earnings of $11.65 per share, beating estimates by $1.44, while revenue rose 10.1% year over year to $4.74 billion. The company also declared a $2.49 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 0.7% annualized yield.

First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 21.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,013 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,975 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $18,558,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 483 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $487,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 788 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $795,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Sawyer & Company Inc raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Sawyer & Company Inc now owns 676 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $682,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC now owns 305 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $308,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Finally, Andina Capital Management LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC now owns 404 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $408,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. Stephens lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $1,355.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of 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 raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,337.00 to $1,460.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,230.11.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,360.12 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,331.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,199.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The company has a market capitalization of $64.21 billion, a PE ratio of 36.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.03. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $906.52 and a one year high of $1,419.91.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $9.86 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a $2.49 dividend. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 26.79%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at $1,913,067.24. This trade represents a 35.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total transaction of $385,518.97. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 399 shares of the company's stock, valued at $491,444.31. This represents a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,624 shares of company stock valued at $3,232,291. 6.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger 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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