Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Has $5.28 Million Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Los Angeles Capital Management cut its W.W. Grainger stake by 17% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 5,521 shares worth about $5.28 million.
• W.W. Grainger posted strong quarterly results, with EPS of $11.65 beating estimates and revenue of $4.74 billion topping forecasts; revenue rose 10.1% from a year earlier.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $2.49 per share from $2.26, while analysts currently have a consensus rating of Hold with an average price target of $1,212.88.

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lowered its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 17.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,521 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,132 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,279,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tradition Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $232,000. Dearborn Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC now owns 305 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Pinebridge Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,733,000. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,413,000. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $567,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,304.09 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $61.57 billion, a PE ratio of 35.07, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.04. The business has a fifty day moving average of $1,193.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,105.20. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $906.52 and a 52-week high of $1,309.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.69.

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

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were given a $2.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This is a positive change 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%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 26.79%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total value of $385,518.97. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 399 shares in the company, valued at $491,444.31. This trade represents a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,554 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,913,067.24. The trade was a 35.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 6,451 shares of company stock valued at $7,380,743 in the last three months. Company insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the subject of several research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective 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. Wall Street Zen raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,212.88.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GWW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.