W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Purchased by Conning Inc.

Key Points

• Conning Inc. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1,716.5% in the first quarter, ending with 4,305 shares valued at about $4.7 million.
• W.W. Grainger reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $11.65 and revenue of $4.74 billion, both beating analyst expectations; revenue rose 10.1% year over year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $2.49 per share from $2.26, while analysts currently have a Hold consensus rating and an average price target of $1,216.44.

Conning Inc. boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 1,716.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,305 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,068 shares during the quarter. Conning Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,696,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total transaction of $1,051,325.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,554 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,913,067.24. This represents a 35.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total transaction of $1,795,446.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 2,232 shares in the company, valued at $2,750,471.28. The trade was a 39.50% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 2,624 shares of company stock worth $3,232,291. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,379.19 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $65.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.03. The firm's 50 day moving average is $1,292.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,166.23. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $906.52 and a fifty-two week high of $1,390.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.The business had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.86 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter 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. Analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.47 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a dividend of $2.49 per share. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GWW. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Stephens lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on 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. DA Davidson assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $1,250.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,216.44.

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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