W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Bought by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. dramatically increased its stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter, adding 434,199 shares and bringing its total holding to 435,466 shares valued at about $439.4 million.
• W.W. Grainger reported strong first-quarter results, beating earnings and revenue estimates with EPS of $11.65 and revenue of $4.74 billion, while also raising its full-year guidance.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $2.49 per share from $2.26, and analysts currently have a consensus Hold rating with an average price target of $1,199.13.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 34,269.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 435,466 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 434,199 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned 0.92% of W.W. Grainger worth $439,407,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Mattern Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 12,234 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $12,345,000 after buying an additional 563 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 7,523 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $7,169,000 after buying an additional 987 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth about $4,205,000. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 20.4% during the 3rd quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 5,947 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,667,000 after buying an additional 1,008 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 212.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 54,215 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $55,795,000 after buying an additional 36,855 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on GWW. Weiss Ratings upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on 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 target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Three 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,199.13.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,271.77 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $60.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.21, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.04. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,135.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,069.55. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $906.52 and a 52 week high of $1,286.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.69.

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

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be paid a $2.49 dividend. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.79%.

More W.W. Grainger News

Here are the key news stories impacting W.W. Grainger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp raised multiple earnings estimates for W.W. Grainger, including FY2026, Q2 2026, Q3 2026, and several 2027 periods, signaling improved expectations for profitability and growth. W.W. Grainger stock page
• Positive Sentiment: The company recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, with revenue up 10.1% year over year, and management raised full-year guidance, which supports the stock’s recent strength. W.W. Grainger earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: W.W. Grainger also increased its quarterly dividend, reinforcing confidence in cash flow and shareholder returns. W.W. Grainger dividend update
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and investors are focused on post-earnings commentary, including margin trends and whether the company can sustain its guidance. WW Grainger’s Q1 earnings call: Our top 5 analyst questions
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling by several executives, including VP Laurie Thomson, SVP Jonny M. Leroy, and VP Paige K. Robbins, could weigh on sentiment even though the sales were disclosed and may simply reflect personal portfolio activity. W.W. Grainger insider buying and selling alert

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total value of $1,658,048.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 10,541 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,745,625.48. The trade was a 12.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total value of $385,518.97. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 399 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $491,444.31. The trade was a 43.96% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,451 shares of company stock worth $7,380,743. 6.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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