Pacer Advisors Inc. Has $5.06 Million Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Pacer Advisors increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 40.3% in the fourth quarter, holding 5,011 shares valued at about $5.06 million.
• W.W. Grainger reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $11.65 beating estimates and revenue of $4.74 billion topping forecasts. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $2.49 per share.
• Several analysts adjusted their views on GWW, with price targets moving higher across multiple firms, but the stock still carries an overall Hold consensus rating and average target price of $1,217.

Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 40.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,011 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,440 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,056,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 46.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $338,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 18.0% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,851 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,816,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 169.6% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,826 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,980,000 after acquiring an additional 2,407 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth about $208,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 35.2% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 41,388 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $43,051,000 after acquiring an additional 10,784 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,343.73 on Tuesday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $1,237.43 and its 200-day moving average is $1,132.53. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $906.52 and a 1-year high of $1,377.08. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market cap of $63.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.04.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The business had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $9.86 EPS. The firm's quarterly 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 research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.39 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $2.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 26.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total value of $1,658,048.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,541 shares in the company, valued at $11,745,625.48. The trade was a 12.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 2,232 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,750,471.28. This trade represents a 39.50% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 4,112 shares of company stock valued at $4,890,339 over the last three months. 6.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the topic of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,217.00.

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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