Legal & General Group Plc Takes $407.05 Million Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Legal & General Group Plc acquired 299,214 shares of W.W. Grainger worth approximately $407.1 million, giving it a 0.64% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 80.7% of the company.
• Grainger beat quarterly expectations with $12.01 in EPS versus the $11.30 consensus and $5.02 billion in revenue, up 10.3% year over year. The company reaffirmed fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $45.50–$47.25.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $2.49 per share, equating to a $9.96 annualized payout and a 0.8% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $1,286.62.

Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 299,214 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $407,051,000. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.64% of W.W. Grainger at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 483 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $487,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 788 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $795,000 after buying an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Sawyer & Company Inc grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Sawyer & Company Inc now owns 676 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $682,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC now owns 305 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $308,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Andina Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC now owns 404 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $408,000 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.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,301.27 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.18, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 2.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $1,344.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,232.38. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $906.52 and a 52 week high of $1,419.91.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $12.01 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $11.30 by $0.71. The company had revenue of $5.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.96 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 48.73%. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.97 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 45.500-47.250 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 46.1 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a dividend of $2.49 per share. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 25.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Stephens cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $1,355.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,350.00 to $1,375.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. DA Davidson upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,260.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,166.00 to $1,185.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,286.62.

W.W. Grainger 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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