Swedbank AB Lowers Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Swedbank AB reduced its W.W. Grainger stake by 6.6% in the first quarter, selling 1,878 shares and leaving it with 26,786 shares worth about $29.2 million.
• Grainger posted strong quarterly results, reporting $11.65 EPS versus $10.21 expected and revenue of $4.74 billion, up 10.1% year over year.
• The company raised its dividend to $2.49 per share from $2.26, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average target price of $1,216.44.

Swedbank AB cut its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 6.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 26,786 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,878 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB owned about 0.06% of W.W. Grainger worth $29,218,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in GWW. Mattern Capital Management LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 12,234 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $12,345,000 after acquiring an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,048,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 212.3% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 54,215 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $55,795,000 after purchasing an additional 36,855 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 160.6% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 68,139 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $68,756,000 after purchasing an additional 41,990 shares during the period. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 72.3% during the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 2,353 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,374,000 after purchasing an additional 987 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,349.53 on Thursday. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1,283.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,162.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.30, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.03.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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. 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.86 EPS. The business's revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 disclosed 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 is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 26.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on GWW. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target 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. Barclays cut 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 report on Tuesday, June 23rd. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $1,250.00 target price for the company. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,216.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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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