W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Acquired by Merit Financial Group LLC

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 72.3% in Q4, buying 987 shares to own 2,353 shares valued at about $2.37 million, and institutional investors now hold roughly 80.7% of the stock as several other funds also boosted positions.
• Grainger reported Q EPS of $9.45 (missing estimates by $0.01) and revenue of $4.43 billion, up 4.5% year-over-year, and issued FY2026 guidance of 42.25–44.75 EPS (analysts expect ~43.61); the shares trade near $1,163 with a market cap of $55.06 billion and a P/E of 32.87.

Merit Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 72.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,353 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 987 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,374,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,163.42 on Tuesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $906.52 and a one year high of $1,218.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 2.83. The firm has a market cap of $55.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.87, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.09. The firm's fifty day moving average is $1,116.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,042.21.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.45 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.46 by ($0.01). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.51% and a return on equity of 47.46%. The business had revenue of $4.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.71 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. Research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 43.61 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.54%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total transaction of $1,658,048.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,541 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,745,625.48. This represents a 12.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,190.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on 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. Barclays lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,044.00 to $1,047.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Weiss Ratings raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,096.71.

W.W. Grainger Company 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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