QRG Capital Management Inc. Raises Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• QRG Capital Management Inc. has increased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 37.2%, owning 4,017 shares valued at approximately $4.18 million after purchasing an additional 1,090 shares in the second quarter.
• Several institutional investors have also raised their stakes in W.W. Grainger, with a combined 80.70% of the stock owned by institutional investors.
• W.W. Grainger reported earnings of $9.97 per share for the last quarter, missing estimates, while also declaring a quarterly dividend of $2.26, yielding 0.9% annually.

QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 37.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,017 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,090 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,178,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of GWW. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 46.8% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $338,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 124.3% in the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 848 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $838,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares during the period. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 16.8% during the first quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 1,303 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,287,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the first quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 717 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $713,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 15.9% in the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 1,636 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,616,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total value 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 at this hyperlink. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target 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. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,089.71.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of GWW stock opened at $959.16 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $45.88 billion, a PE ratio of 24.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $893.99 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The business's fifty day moving average is $985.93 and its 200 day moving average is $1,017.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.82.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced 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). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%.The business had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.76 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate 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. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th were paid a $2.26 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.

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