W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Purchased by Baird Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group increased its W.W. Grainger stake by 25.6% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 6,180 shares valued at approximately $8.4 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 80.7% of the company.
• Grainger exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $12.01 in EPS versus the $11.30 consensus estimate and $5.02 billion in revenue, up 10.3% year over year. The company reaffirmed fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $45.50–$47.25.
• The company paid a quarterly dividend of $2.49 per share, equivalent to an annualized $9.96 dividend and a 0.8% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with a $1,286.62 price target, near the stock’s reported $1,282.57 price.

Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 25.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,180 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,259 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $8,407,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 46.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $338,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 18.0% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,851 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,816,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in 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 last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $208,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of 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 valued at $43,051,000 after purchasing an additional 10,784 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,282.57 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $60.41 billion, a PE ratio of 32.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.03. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $906.52 and a fifty-two week high of $1,419.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 2.81 and a quick ratio of 1.70. The stock's 50-day moving average is $1,333.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,246.27.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $12.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $11.30 by $0.71. The company had revenue of $5.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 48.73% and a net margin of 9.92%.The business's revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.97 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 45.500-47.250 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 46.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a dividend of $2.49 per share. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.40%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Stephens downgraded W.W. Grainger from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $1,355.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,460.00 to $1,428.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, August 9th. Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,350.00 to $1,375.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,286.62.

W.W. Grainger Profile

W.W. Grainger, Inc is a distributor of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products and related services. The company serves businesses, government agencies and other organizations that need supplies to maintain facilities, equipment and operations. Its product categories include tools, safety equipment, material handling products, cleaning and maintenance supplies, electrical and lighting products, plumbing supplies, HVAC equipment and fasteners.

Founded in 1927 by William W. Grainger, the company has grown from a regional electrical-equipment distributor into a global MRO provider.

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