Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD Trims Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD reduced its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 42%, now owning 64,401 shares valued at approximately $63.6 million.
• W.W. Grainger reported slightly below expectations in its latest earnings with $9.97 earnings per share (EPS), missing the consensus estimate by $0.10.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $2.26, maintaining a 0.9% yield with a payout ratio of 22.94%.

Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD trimmed its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 42.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 64,401 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 46,672 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD owned about 0.13% of W.W. Grainger worth $63,618,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth about $1,040,000. Vertex Planning Partners LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. Vertex Planning Partners LLC now owns 268 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $264,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 16,861 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $16,656,000 after acquiring an additional 523 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 10.9% during the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 18,682 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $18,455,000 after acquiring an additional 1,839 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Andina Capital Management LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth about $347,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on GWW. Loop Capital decreased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. Morgan Stanley decreased 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. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,080.38.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded down $0.45 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $1,014.02. The company had a trading volume of 337,931 shares, compared to its average volume of 355,193. The stock has a market cap of $48.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.73, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.18. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,014.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,019.54. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $893.99 and a 12-month 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 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.07 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $4.55 billion during 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 business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.76 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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

W.W. Grainger Profile

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.