W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Sold by Northern Trust Corp

Key Points

• Northern Trust Corp has reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 2.4%, now holding 665,230 shares valued at approximately $657 million.
• W.W. Grainger's latest earnings report showed EPS of $9.97, missing estimates by $0.10, with a revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $2.26 per share, with an annualized yield of 0.9% and a payout ratio of 22.94%.

Northern Trust Corp cut its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 2.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 665,230 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 16,682 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned approximately 1.38% of W.W. Grainger worth $657,134,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 23.8% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 343 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $339,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.7% during the first quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC now owns 5,884 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,812,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Foyston Gordon & Payne Inc raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 11.9% during the first quarter. Foyston Gordon & Payne Inc now owns 6,751 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $6,669,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 4.0% during the first quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 4,534 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $4,479,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 9.5% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 66,454 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $65,645,000 after purchasing an additional 5,743 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of GWW stock traded up $26.5310 during trading on Friday, reaching $1,020.6010. The company's stock had a trading volume of 333,372 shares, compared to its average volume of 353,355. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 1.64. The company has a market capitalization of $48.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.18. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $1,017.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,020.22. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $893.99 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.76 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th will be issued a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is 22.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on GWW. Loop Capital reduced their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,080.38.

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.