Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd Increases Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 5.8% during the first quarter, owning 8,449 shares worth approximately $8.35 million.
• Several hedge funds have also significantly raised their holdings in the company, including a remarkable 1,685.7% increase by Golden State Wealth Management LLC.
• Analysts have given mixed ratings for W.W. Grainger, with an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,080.38.

Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 5.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,449 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger makes up 1.8% of Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $8,346,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1,685.7% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $123,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 5,095 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,033,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 116.0% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 33,917 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $33,506,000 after acquiring an additional 18,216 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.2% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 701 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $692,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 8.8% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,970 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $6,796,000 after acquiring an additional 564 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on GWW. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on 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 lowered their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price 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. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. One 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, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,080.38.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded up $1.68 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $1,015.18. 375,764 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 289,488. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,014.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,019.38. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $893.99 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released 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 business had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The company's revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $9.76 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. Research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th were paid a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 11th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.94%.

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.