Sciencast Management LP Takes Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Sciencast Management LP has acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc., purchasing 420 shares valued at approximately $415,000.
• Multiple institutional investors, including Vanguard Group and JPMorgan Chase, have increased their stakes in W.W. Grainger, demonstrating strong investor interest with 80.70% of the stock owned by hedge funds and other institutions.
• W.W. Grainger reported a net margin of 10.99% with a return on equity of 49.63%, despite missing earnings estimates for the quarter ending August 1st.

Sciencast Management LP bought a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 420 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $415,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 100,843.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 692,469 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $684,042,000 after buying an additional 691,783 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $285,574,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 10.1% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 822,411 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $812,403,000 after buying an additional 75,644 shares during the period. Kodai Capital Management LP bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $67,601,000. Finally, Interval Partners LP increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 1,429.9% in the 1st quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 67,957 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $67,130,000 after buying an additional 63,515 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW traded down $9.77 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $1,004.92. The company had a trading volume of 276,533 shares, compared to its average volume of 290,483. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $1,009.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,018.81. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $893.99 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.07 billion, a PE ratio of 25.50, a PEG ratio of 2.88 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.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 quarter last year, the company earned $9.76 earnings per share. The business'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. Analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total value of $496,430.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,758,355.06. The trade was a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on GWW shares. Loop Capital dropped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered 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 report on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,035.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned 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 $1,069.13.

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.