Truist Financial Corp Decreases Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Truist Financial Corp has reduced its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 3.0%, selling 639 shares during the second quarter, bringing its total ownership to 20,487 shares valued at approximately $21.3 million.
• Multiple institutional investors have made recent adjustments to their stakes in W.W. Grainger, with 80.70% of the stock now owned by such investors, indicating substantial institutional interest.
• W.W. Grainger reported a miss on earnings per share for the last quarter, posting $9.97 against a consensus estimate of $10.07, although its revenue increased by 5.6% year-over-year.

Truist Financial Corp reduced its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,487 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 639 shares during the quarter. Truist Financial Corp's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $21,311,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Chicago Capital LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 9.7% during the second quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 4,259 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $4,431,000 after buying an additional 376 shares during the period. G&S Capital LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 66.6% during the second quarter. G&S Capital LLC now owns 698 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $726,000 after buying an additional 279 shares during the period. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth approximately $203,000. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth approximately $315,000. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.1% during the second quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 469 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $488,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective 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. Loop Capital decreased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price 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 note on Monday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price 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 note on Friday, July 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,069.13.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $957.17 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $45.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.17. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $893.99 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $987.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,016.92.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 analyst estimates of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%.W.W. Grainger's revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.76 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total transaction of $496,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,771 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,758,355.06. This trade represents a 22.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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