Swedbank AB Decreases Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Swedbank AB reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 11.7% in Q1, holding 158,286 shares valued at $156.36 million after selling 21,005 shares.
• W.W. Grainger's stock has faced recent downgrades from several analysts, with target prices decreased from a high of $1,215 to as low as $950, indicating a generally cautious outlook.
• The company posted earnings of $9.97 per share for the last quarter, missing estimates by $0.10, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $2.26, yielding approximately 0.9% annually.

Swedbank AB reduced its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 11.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 158,286 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 21,005 shares during the period. Swedbank AB owned about 0.33% of W.W. Grainger worth $156,360,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Nova Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 34.3% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 47 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,035.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of 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 cut their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,069.13.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,015.32 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $48.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.82. The company has a fifty day moving average of $1,009.41 and a 200 day moving average of $1,018.81. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $893.99 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.07 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.76 EPS. 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total value of $496,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,758,355.06. This represents a 22.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.

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