Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Trims Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund cut its W.W. Grainger stake by 28.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 22,213 shares and ending with 56,729 shares valued at about $57.2 million.
• Grainger reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $11.65 beating estimates and revenue of $4.74 billion topping forecasts, while revenue rose 10.1% year over year. The company also raised its full-year guidance to 44.25-46.25 EPS for FY 2026.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $2.49 from $2.26, and analysts currently have a mixed but cautious view, with an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $1,212.88.

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund decreased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 28.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 56,729 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 22,213 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned about 0.12% of W.W. Grainger worth $57,242,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 211.1% during the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. State of Wyoming lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 650.0% during the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,314.60 on Monday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $906.52 and a 52 week high of $1,349.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company has a market capitalization of $62.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.04. The stock's fifty day moving average is $1,212.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,116.11.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS 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 company had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $9.86 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. Equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.34 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a $2.49 dividend. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,212.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total value of $1,051,325.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,554 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,913,067.24. The trade was a 35.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total value of $1,795,446.53. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 2,232 shares in the company, valued at $2,750,471.28. This represents a 39.50% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 6,451 shares of company stock worth $7,380,743 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

About W.W. Grainger

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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