Plato Investment Management Ltd Decreases Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Plato Investment Management Ltd reduced its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 47.1% during the 1st quarter, bringing their total shares to 1,010 and valuation to approximately $1,009,000.
• Several other investment firms have also adjusted their positions in W.W. Grainger, with 80.70% of its stock owned by hedge funds and institutional investors.
• Analysts have lowered price targets for W.W. Grainger, with Royal Bank of Canada and Loop Capital setting targets at $1,007 and $950 respectively, reflecting a consensus rating of "Hold".

Plato Investment Management Ltd cut its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 47.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,010 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 899 shares during the quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,009,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 486 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $480,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 323 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $319,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 1,139 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,125,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. now owns 270 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $267,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 34.3% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 47 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on 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. Loop Capital decreased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,035.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,069.13.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 2.1%

GWW stock opened at $1,015.32 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.56 billion, a PE ratio of 25.76, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $893.99 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,009.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,018.81.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.76 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th were issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 11th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 22.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total transaction of $496,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,758,355.06. The trade was a 22.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 6.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

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