MUFG Securities EMEA plc Grows Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• MUFG Securities EMEA plc more than doubled its stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter, increasing holdings by 112.9% to 1,793 shares worth about $1.81 million.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed, with several firms raising price targets but the overall consensus remaining a Hold; MarketBeat shows an average price target of $1,212.88.
• W.W. Grainger posted strong quarterly results, beating earnings and revenue estimates, and also increased its quarterly dividend to $2.49 per share from $2.26.

MUFG Securities EMEA plc lifted its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 112.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,793 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 951 shares during the period. MUFG Securities EMEA plc's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,809,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 211.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. State of Wyoming raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 650.0% in the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $57,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Oppenheimer raised their target price on 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. Barclays raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,047.00 to $1,171.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,212.88.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,554 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,913,067.24. The trade was a 35.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total value of $1,795,446.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 2,232 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,750,471.28. This represents a 39.50% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,451 shares of company stock valued at $7,380,743. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,242.55 on Tuesday. 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 business's 50-day simple moving average is $1,170.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,092.51. The stock has a market cap of $58.66 billion, a PE ratio of 33.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.04. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $906.52 and a 52 week high of $1,286.56.

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

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $2.49 dividend. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 26.79%.

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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