Swedbank AB Sells 129,693 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Swedbank AB sharply cut its W.W. Grainger stake in the fourth quarter, selling 129,693 shares and reducing its holdings by 81.9% to 28,664 shares worth about $28.9 million.
• W.W. Grainger posted strong quarterly results, with EPS of $11.65 beating estimates and revenue of $4.74 billion topping expectations, while revenue rose 10.1% year over year.
• The company raised its dividend and outlook remains constructive, increasing the quarterly payout to $2.49 per share and drawing analyst support, including multiple upward EPS estimate revisions and a consensus Hold rating with a $1,199.13 price target.

Swedbank AB reduced its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 81.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 28,664 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 129,693 shares during the period. Swedbank AB owned approximately 0.06% of W.W. Grainger worth $28,923,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 46.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $338,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 18.0% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,851 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,816,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 169.6% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,826 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,980,000 after acquiring an additional 2,407 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth $208,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 35.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 41,388 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $43,051,000 after purchasing an additional 10,784 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total transaction of $1,795,446.53. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 2,232 shares in the company, valued at $2,750,471.28. The trade was a 39.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 2,339 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,064.73, for a total transaction of $2,490,403.47. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,897,511.55. This represents a 18.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 6,451 shares of company stock worth $7,380,743 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock opened at $1,247.95 on Monday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $1,148.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,080.20. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $906.52 and a 12-month high of $1,286.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.57, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.86 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter 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, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.35 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be given 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.79%.

Key Stories Impacting W.W. Grainger

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for W.W. Grainger to $44.83 from $42.84, suggesting stronger near-term earnings momentum. W.W. Grainger stock page
• Positive Sentiment: The analyst also boosted FY2027 EPS to $49.39 from $48.13, reinforcing expectations for continued profit growth over the next year. W.W. Grainger stock page
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly estimates were increased for Q1 2027, Q2 2027, Q3 2027, Q4 2027, Q2 2026, and Q4 2026, which may support sentiment around the company’s earnings trajectory. W.W. Grainger stock page

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on GWW. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,199.13.

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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