Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 8,849 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group cut its W.W. Grainger stake by 7.7% in the first quarter, selling 8,849 shares and leaving it with 105,551 shares valued at about $115.1 million.
• W.W. 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 FY 2026 EPS guidance to 44.25-46.25.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $2.49 per share from $2.26, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average price target of $1,216.44.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 7.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 105,551 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 8,849 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.22% of W.W. Grainger worth $115,136,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $192,000. Personal CFO Solutions LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 30.4% in the first quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 352 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $384,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 56.5% in the first quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 169 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $184,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 154.3% during the first quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 712 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $777,000 after buying an additional 432 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth $842,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.0%

NYSE GWW traded up $14.33 on Friday, hitting $1,379.19. The company's stock had a trading volume of 221,520 shares, compared to its average volume of 340,390. The company's 50-day moving average is $1,292.40 and its 200 day moving average is $1,166.23. The firm has a market cap of $65.11 billion, a PE ratio of 37.09, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.03. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $906.52 and a 1-year high of $1,390.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The company had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a dividend of $2.49 per share. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total value of $385,518.97. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 399 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $491,444.31. This represents a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total value of $1,795,446.53. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 2,232 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,750,471.28. This trade represents a 39.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,624 shares of company stock worth $3,232,291. Insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on GWW shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, DA Davidson assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $1,250.00 price target on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,216.44.

About W.W. Grainger

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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