W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Acquired by Tredje AP fonden

Key Points

• Tredje AP fonden increased its W.W. Grainger stake by 28.9% in the fourth quarter, ending with 3,871 shares valued at about $3.9 million.
• Grainger reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $11.65 beating estimates and revenue of $4.74 billion topping expectations; revenue rose 10.1% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $2.49 per share from $2.26, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average price target of $1,199.13.

Tredje AP fonden boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 28.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,871 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 869 shares during the quarter. Tredje AP fonden's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,906,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.9% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,731,880 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,462,252,000 after buying an additional 104,607 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,996,053 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,902,159,000 after acquiring an additional 13,779 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 659,158 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $628,151,000 after acquiring an additional 3,114 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 477,693 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $482,016,000 after acquiring an additional 34,307 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 34,269.9% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 435,466 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $439,407,000 after purchasing an additional 434,199 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,244.53 on Wednesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $906.52 and a 1 year high of $1,286.56. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $1,140.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,074.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.69. The company has a market capitalization of $58.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.47, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.04.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The business had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.86 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.43 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be given a dividend of $2.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 26.79%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total value of $1,051,325.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,554 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,913,067.24. The trade was a 35.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total transaction of $385,518.97. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 399 shares in the company, valued at $491,444.31. This trade represents a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 6,451 shares of company stock worth $7,380,743 in the last ninety days. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on GWW. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of 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. upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,199.13.

W.W. Grainger 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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