Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Acquires 17,357 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 7.0%, purchasing an additional 17,357 shares, which brings its total ownership to approximately 0.56% of the company.
• W.W. Grainger reported a Q2 earnings per share (EPS) of $9.97, slightly missing analyst estimates of $10.07, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $2.26 per share.
• Analysts have rated W.W. Grainger with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,069.13, with recent price targets lowered by several brokerages.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 7.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 266,821 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,357 shares during the quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned approximately 0.56% of W.W. Grainger worth $263,574,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 486 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $480,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 323 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $319,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 1,139 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,125,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Crew Capital Management Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. now owns 270 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $267,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 34.3% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 47 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on GWW. Loop Capital dropped 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. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,035.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,069.13.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of GWW opened at $996.56 on Wednesday. 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 cap of $47.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.18. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $1,010.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,018.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.82.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $10.07 by ($0.10). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%.The business had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.52 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.76 EPS. The business'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. On average, analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

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