Norges Bank Takes Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Norges Bank initiated a large new position in W.W. Grainger, buying 514,304 shares valued at about $519 million and owning 1.08% of the company.
• W.W. Grainger reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $11.65 versus $10.21 expected and revenue of $4.74 billion, up 10.1% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $2.49 per share, while analysts currently rate the stock a mixed Hold overall with an average target price of $1,212.88.

Norges Bank bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 514,304 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $518,958,000. Norges Bank owned 1.08% of W.W. Grainger as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Eurizon SLJ Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,579,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $10,318,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $3,986,000. National Pension Service lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 62,742 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $63,310,000 after acquiring an additional 2,578 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,299 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,311,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,047.00 to $1,171.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Three research 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 MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,212.88.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.0%

GWW stock opened at $1,234.01 on Monday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $906.52 and a 1-year high of $1,286.56. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $1,166.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,090.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.04.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $9.86 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total transaction of $1,051,325.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the vice president owned 2,232 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,750,471.28. This trade represents a 39.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 6,451 shares of company stock valued at $7,380,743 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

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.

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