Principal Financial Group Inc. Raises Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 53,319 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,198 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of W.W. Grainger worth $53,802,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Parnassus Investments LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at $721,202,000. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at $239,597,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 46.6% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 443,386 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $422,529,000 after purchasing an additional 140,869 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,731,880 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $5,462,252,000 after purchasing an additional 104,607 shares during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 899.0% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 94,737 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $95,594,000 after purchasing an additional 85,254 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,190.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,044.00 to $1,047.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted 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 report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,159.14.

Key W.W. Grainger News

Here are the key news stories impacting W.W. Grainger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Grainger beat Wall Street expectations with Q1 EPS of $11.65 versus $10.21 expected, and revenue of $4.74 billion versus $4.58 billion expected, signaling stronger-than-anticipated demand. Grainger Reports Results for the First Quarter 2026
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its FY2026 guidance, now targeting EPS of $44.25 to $46.25 and revenue of $19.2 billion to $19.6 billion, above consensus estimates, which reinforces confidence in continued growth. Grainger Reports Results for the First Quarter 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted strong services demand, margin expansion, and robust performance across both business segments, while also announcing a 10% quarterly dividend increase and continued share repurchases. Grainger Reports Results for the First Quarter 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target on GWW to $1,337 from $1,170, but kept a “sector perform” rating, suggesting valuation upside is recognized but the firm remains cautious on near-term relative performance. Benzinga report on RBC price target increase

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 2,339 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,064.73, for a total value of $2,490,403.47. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,897,511.55. The trade was a 18.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,233.40 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $906.52 and a 12 month high of $1,286.56. The stock has a market cap of $58.38 billion, a PE ratio of 33.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company's fifty day moving average price is $1,121.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,058.34.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 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 firm had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $9.86 EPS. The company'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. On average, equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 43.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be paid a $2.49 dividend. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.54%.

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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