State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Reduces Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• The State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 12.7%, now owning 14,157 shares valued at approximately $13.98 million.
• W.W. Grainger reported earnings of $9.97 per share for the most recent quarter, missing expectations by $0.10, with revenue up 5.6% year-over-year.
• Analysts predict a consensus rating of "Hold" for W.W. Grainger, with an average price target of $1,080.38.

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lowered its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 12.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,157 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,052 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $13,985,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $338,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 97.5% in the fourth quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 1,404 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,480,000 after buying an additional 693 shares in the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 545 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $575,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $6,083,000. Finally, Farringdon Capital Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $251,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.6%

GWW traded down $5.8440 on Thursday, hitting $993.7860. The company had a trading volume of 323,942 shares, compared to its average volume of 288,331. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,020.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,021.06. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $893.99 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 1.64.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.52 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.76 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger'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. As a group, equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be paid a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 22.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total value of $301,056.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on 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. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price 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. Finally, Loop Capital reduced their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,080.38.

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.