W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Acquired by Ritholtz Wealth Management

Key Points

• Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 487.0% during the second quarter, owning 3,510 shares valued at approximately $3.65 million.
• Several hedge funds adjusted their holdings in W.W. Grainger, with institutional investors owning 80.70% of the company's stock as of the last reporting period.
• The company recently missed earnings expectations for the quarter, reporting $9.97 EPS, while guidance for FY 2025 is set at 38.500-40.250 EPS.

Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 487.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,510 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,912 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,651,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in GWW. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at approximately $285,574,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 10.1% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 822,411 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $812,403,000 after buying an additional 75,644 shares during the last quarter. Kodai Capital Management LP acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth approximately $67,601,000. Interval Partners LP grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 1,429.9% in the first quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 67,957 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $67,130,000 after buying an additional 63,515 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.1% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,388,378 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,322,801,000 after buying an additional 57,690 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on GWW. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Barclays began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $963.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Loop Capital decreased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,053.71.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 sale, the senior vice president 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 6.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.3%

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $956.40 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $981.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,015.48. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $893.99 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $45.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.17.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business 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 Dividend Announcement

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

About W.W. Grainger

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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