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

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 647.4% in Q3, now owning 3,550 shares valued at $3.383 million, as institutional investors collectively hold about 80.7% of the company.
• Grainger reported $9.45 EPS for the quarter (missing by $0.01) and $4.43 billion in revenue (beating expectations), and set FY2026 guidance of 42.25–44.75 EPS; the consensus analyst rating is Hold with an average price target of $1,071.38 despite several firms raising targets.
• VP Krantz sold 195 shares (a 5.79% reduction in their stake), insiders now own 6.10% of the stock, and Grainger pays a quarterly dividend of $2.26 ($9.04 annualized, ~0.8% yield).

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 647.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,550 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,075 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,383,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 136.4% in the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 26 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 211.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tobam boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3,900.0% during the 2nd quarter. Tobam now owns 40 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total value of $199,666.35. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,174 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. The trade was a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Oppenheimer increased their price target 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. Weiss Ratings raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $975.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,190.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,071.38.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,106.86 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $1,097.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,019.60. The company has a market capitalization of $52.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.10. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $893.99 and a 1 year high of $1,218.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 2.83.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $9.46 by ($0.01). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.46% and a net margin of 9.51%.The company had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.71 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were given a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.54%.

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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