Fruth Investment Management Sells 277 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Fruth Investment Management reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 1.5%, holding 17,745 shares valued at approximately $18.46 million, which remains the fund's largest stock position.
• W.W. Grainger's stock has experienced a 1.7% decrease recently, with a current market price of $988.33, sitting between its 1-year low of $893.99 and high of $1,227.66.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings miss, with $9.97 earnings per share, slightly below the analyst expectations of $10.07, while revenue grew 5.6% year-over-year.

Fruth Investment Management decreased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 1.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,745 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 277 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger makes up 5.0% of Fruth Investment Management's portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Fruth Investment Management's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $18,459,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 46.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $338,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Waverly Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 27.9% in the fourth quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 812 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $856,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc. raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 29.3% during the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 1,087 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,145,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $3,365,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on GWW shares. Loop Capital decreased their price target on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,035.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. One equities research 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 given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,069.13.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.7%

GWW stock traded down $16.90 during trading on Friday, hitting $988.33. The company had a trading volume of 488,410 shares, compared to its average volume of 300,804. 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 market capitalization of $47.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.08, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,004.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,019.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $10.07 by ($0.10). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The business had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.52 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $9.76 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th were paid a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total transaction of $496,430.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,758,355.06. The trade was a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

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.