Smart Money Group LLC Buys New Shares in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Smart Money Group LLC disclosed a new first-quarter position in W.W. Grainger, buying 852 shares valued at about $929,000. Several other institutional investors also added to or opened stakes, and institutions now own 80.70% of the company.
• Wall Street sentiment remains mixed on GWW, with analysts issuing a blend of buy, hold, and sell calls. The stock currently carries a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $1,230.11.
• Grainger reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $11.65 beating estimates and revenue of $4.74 billion topping forecasts. The company also raised its dividend to $2.49 per share quarterly, and shares recently traded near a 52-week high.

Smart Money Group LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 852 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $929,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on GWW. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,171.00 to $1,166.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $1,250.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,230.11.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total value of $385,518.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 399 shares in the company, valued at approximately $491,444.31. This represents a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total transaction of $1,051,325.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,554 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,913,067.24. The trade was a 35.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,624 shares of company stock worth $3,232,291. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,399.30 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1,309.04 and a 200 day moving average of $1,177.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market cap of $66.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.03. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $906.52 and a twelve month high of $1,405.72.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. The business had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.86 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.46 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a dividend of $2.49 per share. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 26.79%.

Key W.W. Grainger News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target on W.W. Grainger to $1,460 from $1,337, implying roughly 4.3% upside from the current price while keeping a sector perform rating. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research slightly increased its earnings estimates for Q2 2026 and Q2 2028, suggesting expectations remain solid for Grainger’s earnings power. MarketBeat
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage flow remains mixed: one report noted Grainger reached a new 52-week high, while another said Stephens lowered the stock to equal weight, indicating opinions are still somewhat divided. American Banking News American Banking News

W.W. Grainger 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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