Voya Investment Management LLC Sells 692 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Key Points

• Voya Investment Management LLC has reduced its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 2.7% during the first quarter, leaving them with 24,650 shares valued at approximately $24.35 million.
• Several other institutional investors have increased their stakes in W.W. Grainger, leading to 80.70% of the stock now owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
• W.W. Grainger's recent earnings report indicated an EPS of $9.97, falling short of the consensus estimate by $0.10, as the firm looks towards a full-year 2025 guidance of 38.500-40.250 EPS.

Voya Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 2.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,650 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 692 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC owned 0.05% of W.W. Grainger worth $24,350,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 46.8% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $338,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 6,610 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $6,975,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.3% in the 4th quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,370,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares in the last quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 185.3% in the 4th quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,277 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,400,000 after buying an additional 1,479 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Snowden Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $725,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total transaction of $496,430.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,771 shares in the company, valued at $1,758,355.06. The trade was a 22.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 6.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target 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 report on Monday, August 4th. Loop Capital lowered their price target on shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,035.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target 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 report on Friday, July 11th. One equities research 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 given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,069.13.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.9%

GWW traded down $18.91 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $993.71. 402,985 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 297,884. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.53 billion, a PE ratio of 25.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $1,007.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,018.71. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $893.99 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $10.07 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm 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 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. 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 payout ratio is presently 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.