W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Purchased by Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd

Key Points

• Swiss Life Asset Management increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 18.9% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 17,123 shares valued at about $17.3 million.
• W.W. Grainger reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $11.65 beating estimates and revenue of $4.74 billion topping expectations, while revenue rose 10.1% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $2.49 per share from $2.26, and several analysts lifted price targets, though the overall consensus rating remains Hold.

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 18.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,123 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,716 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $17,278,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Mattern Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 987 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth about $4,205,000. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 20.4% in the third quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 5,947 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,667,000 after acquiring an additional 1,008 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 212.3% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 54,215 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $55,795,000 after acquiring an additional 36,855 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on GWW. Royal Bank Of Canada raised 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. Morgan Stanley raised their target price 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. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,183.63.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 2,339 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,064.73, for a total value of $2,490,403.47. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,897,511.55. This trade represents a 18.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE GWW opened at $1,227.90 on Tuesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $906.52 and a one year high of $1,286.56. The company's 50 day moving average price is $1,126.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,061.99. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $57.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.03, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.04.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted 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. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 45.11 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a $2.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is 24.31%.

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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