Fruth Investment Management Cuts Holdings in 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 lessened its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 1.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 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 period. W.W. Grainger comprises 5.0% of Fruth Investment Management's holdings, making the stock its largest holding. Fruth Investment Management's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $18,459,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fiduciary Alliance LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $274,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,685.7% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $123,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 15,989 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $15,795,000 after purchasing an additional 1,120 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 17.1% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 206,593 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $204,057,000 after purchasing an additional 30,208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Modern Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 157.1% during the 1st quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 982 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $970,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Loop Capital decreased their target price on shares of 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. lowered their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,035.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Morgan Stanley reduced 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 note on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price 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 assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,069.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total transaction of $496,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,758,355.06. This trade represents a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE GWW traded down $7.38 during trading on Monday, reaching $980.23. The company had a trading volume of 342,394 shares, compared to its average volume of 292,497. The company's fifty day moving average price is $1,004.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,019.01. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $893.99 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $46.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.87, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.18. 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 released its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.76 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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

About W.W. Grainger

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.