Royal Bank of Canada Sells 14,218 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada has reduced its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 10.8%, now owning 0.24% of the company worth approximately $116 million.
• W.W. Grainger reported $9.97 EPS in its latest quarterly earnings, falling short of analyst expectations of $10.07, despite a 5.6% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $2.26 per share, reflecting a 0.9% yield and a payout ratio of approximately 22.94%.

Royal Bank of Canada lowered its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 10.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 117,539 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 14,218 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada owned about 0.24% of W.W. Grainger worth $116,109,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted 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 valued at $338,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 68.9% in the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 461 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $485,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,018,000. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 5,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,471,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridgefront Capital LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $366,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on 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. Loop Capital decreased their target price on 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. 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,035.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,069.13.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock traded down $34.44 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $993.59. 416,031 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 275,453. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 1.64. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $1,012.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,019.12. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $893.99 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.21, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released 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 net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The company had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $9.76 EPS. The company's revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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

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.