OP Asset Management Ltd Makes New $11.78 Million Investment in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• OP Asset Management Ltd disclosed a new first-quarter position in W.W. Grainger, buying 10,802 shares valued at about $11.78 million.
• W.W. Grainger recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting $11.65 EPS on $4.74 billion in revenue, while also raising its quarterly dividend to $2.49 per share.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: the stock has a consensus Hold rating with an average price target of $1,216.44, even as the shares trade near a 52-week high.

OP Asset Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 10,802 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $11,783,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Apella Capital LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth about $209,000. Cidel Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 12.4% during the 1st quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 317 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $346,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $218,000. Brookstone Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $265,000. Finally, Evolve Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.2% in the first quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 638 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $696,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. DA Davidson began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $1,250.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,216.44.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total transaction of $1,795,446.53. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 2,232 shares in the company, valued at $2,750,471.28. This trade represents a 39.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total value 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. This represents a 35.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 4,112 shares of company stock valued at $4,890,339 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,342.90 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.69. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $1,244.08 and a 200-day moving average of $1,137.65. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $906.52 and a 52-week high of $1,377.08. The stock has a market cap of $63.40 billion, a PE ratio of 36.12, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.04.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. The business had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.39 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.7%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.79%.

W.W. Grainger Company 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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