W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Stock Holdings Cut by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 31.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,227 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 4,322 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $9,114,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the first quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 486 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $480,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.2% during 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 in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.9% during 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 in the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 545 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $575,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crew Capital Management Ltd. raised its position 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. Loop Capital decreased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. One investment 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 issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,080.38.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW stock traded down $8.1340 during trading on Thursday, hitting $991.4960. 180,495 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 287,821. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.18. 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 fifty day moving average price of $1,020.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,021.06. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $9.76 EPS. W.W. Grainger's quarterly 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, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be 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 is Monday, August 11th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.94%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total value of $301,056.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This trade represents a 7.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

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.