Townsend & Associates Inc Sells 2,022 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Townsend & Associates Inc has reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger by 12.9%, selling 2,022 shares, which leaves them with 13,691 shares valued at approximately $14.43 million.
• JPMorgan Chase & Co. has increased its W.W. Grainger stake by 10.1%, owning 822,411 shares worth about $812.4 million.
• W.W. Grainger recently reported earnings per share of $9.97 for the last quarter, missing expectations, while its revenue was slightly above forecasts at $4.55 billion.

Townsend & Associates Inc trimmed its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 12.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 13,691 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,022 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger accounts for about 1.4% of Townsend & Associates Inc's holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. Townsend & Associates Inc's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $14,431,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth about $285,574,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 10.1% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 822,411 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $812,403,000 after acquiring an additional 75,644 shares during the last quarter. Kodai Capital Management LP bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth about $67,601,000. Interval Partners LP increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1,429.9% in the 1st quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 67,957 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $67,130,000 after acquiring an additional 63,515 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,388,378 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,322,801,000 after acquiring an additional 57,690 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Barclays began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $963.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 11th. Loop Capital cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,053.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of GWW stock opened at $956.36 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.74 billion, a PE ratio of 24.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $893.99 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The business has a 50-day moving average of $982.04 and a 200 day moving average of $1,015.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 1.64.

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 company 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 quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.76 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th were issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date 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%.

W.W. Grainger 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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