W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Sold by Parnassus Investments LLC

Parnassus Investments LLC cut its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 15.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 640,162 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 116,640 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger accounts for approximately 1.7% of Parnassus Investments LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Parnassus Investments LLC owned 1.35% of W.W. Grainger worth $645,955,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.9% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,731,880 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,462,252,000 after buying an additional 104,607 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,996,053 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,902,159,000 after buying an additional 13,779 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,217,834 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,230,214,000 after buying an additional 10,533 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.5% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 659,158 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $628,151,000 after buying an additional 3,114 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $518,958,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,315.93 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $1,208.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,113.40. The firm has a market cap of $62.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.39, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.04. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $906.52 and a 52-week high of $1,349.74. 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 earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.W.W. Grainger's revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a dividend of $2.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.79%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 2,339 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,064.73, for a total value of $2,490,403.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,897,511.55. This trade represents a 18.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total value of $1,051,325.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,554 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,913,067.24. This trade represents a 35.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 6,451 shares of company stock valued at $7,380,743 in the last three months. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada increased 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. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target 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. Barclays raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,047.00 to $1,171.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Stephens raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Three investment 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.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,212.88.

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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