Modern Wealth Management LLC Increases Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Modern Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 157.1% during the first quarter, now owning shares worth approximately $970,000.
• Recent analyst reports have led to multiple price target reductions for W.W. Grainger, with the consensus rating currently at "Hold" and an average price target of $1,069.13.
• The company reported a quarterly EPS of $9.97, which fell short of analysts' expectations of $10.07, while also declaring a quarterly dividend of $2.26 per share.

Modern Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 157.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 982 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. Modern Wealth Management LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $970,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 1st 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 position 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 worth $319,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management grew its position 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 worth $1,125,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. now owns 270 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $267,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 34.3% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 47 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on GWW. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,035.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,069.13.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.9%

GWW stock traded down $18.91 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $993.71. 402,985 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 291,322. The firm's 50 day moving average is $1,008.07 and its 200 day moving average is $1,018.89. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $893.99 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The firm has a market cap of $47.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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). The company had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.76 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th were issued a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 11th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.94%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total transaction of $496,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,758,355.06. This trade represents a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate 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.