Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Decreases Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group sharply reduced its W.W. Grainger stake by 71.5% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 1,011 shares worth about $1.02 million.
• Several insiders have also been selling shares, including CFO Deidra C. Merriwether and VP Paige K. Robbins, while insiders collectively sold 6,451 shares last quarter.
• Grainger reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $11.65 beating estimates and revenue of $4.74 billion topping forecasts, and it also raised its quarterly dividend to $2.49 per share.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. cut its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 71.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,011 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,539 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,020,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Associated Banc Corp increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 18.7% during the 4th quarter. Associated Banc Corp now owns 1,109 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,119,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $294,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 303.4% in the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,046 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $4,083,000 after acquiring an additional 3,043 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 218.2% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,575 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,589,000 after acquiring an additional 1,080 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 33.4% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,235 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,255,000 after acquiring an additional 559 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 2,339 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,064.73, for a total transaction of $2,490,403.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,897,511.55. The trade was a 18.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,232 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,750,471.28. The trade was a 39.50% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 6,451 shares of company stock worth $7,380,743 over the last quarter. 6.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.2%

GWW stock opened at $1,247.99 on Friday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $58.92 billion, a PE ratio of 33.57, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.04. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $906.52 and a twelve month high of $1,286.56. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,162.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,088.43.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. The business had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.86 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a dividend of $2.49 per share. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 26.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,212.88.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

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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