G&S Capital LLC Grows Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• G&S Capital LLC significantly increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 66.6%, now owning 698 shares valued at $726,000.
• Multiple hedge funds, including Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. and N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC, have also increased or acquired positions in W.W. Grainger, indicating strong institutional interest with 80.70% of stock owned by such investors.
• Recent analyst ratings show a consensus rating of "Hold" for W.W. Grainger, with the target price adjusted downward by several brokerages, indicating a cautious outlook.

G&S Capital LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 66.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 698 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 279 shares during the period. G&S Capital LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $726,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of GWW. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth $25,000. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 316.7% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 25 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Nova Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 52.6% during the second quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 50.0% during the second quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 30 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total value of $496,430.00. Following 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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 note on Thursday, September 4th. Loop Capital lowered their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,069.13.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $947.58 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $995.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,018.15. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $893.99 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.76 EPS. The business's revenue 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, sell-side 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 issued a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. 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.

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