W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Sold by ProShare Advisors LLC

Key Points

• ProShare Advisors reduced its W.W. Grainger stake by 10.6% in the third quarter, selling 15,263 shares and retaining 129,080 shares valued at approximately $160.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.7% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus rating of “Hold” from 13 analysts and an average price target of $1,253.85. Targets range from $1,172 to $1,427.
• Grainger reported quarterly earnings of $12.01 per share, beating estimates of $11.30, while revenue rose 10.3% year over year to $5.02 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $2.49 per share, equivalent to a 0.7% annualized yield.

ProShare Advisors LLC decreased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 129,080 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 15,263 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC owned 0.27% of W.W. Grainger worth $160,803,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vise Technologies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 56.4% during the third quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 3,883 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $4,838,000 after acquiring an additional 1,401 shares during the period. Invera Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. Invera Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 336 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $419,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Avestar Capital LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 356 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $443,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at $243,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 147,683.3% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 300,000 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $373,728,000 after purchasing an additional 299,797 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,428.00 to $1,427.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Barclays cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,185.00 to $1,172.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,400.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,253.85.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW opened at $1,357.84 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $906.52 and a 12-month high of $1,419.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 2.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.01. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $1,300.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,235.62.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $12.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $11.30 by $0.71. The business had revenue of $5.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 48.73%. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $9.97 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 45.500-47.250 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 46.31 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 9th will be issued a $2.49 dividend. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 9th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.40%.

About W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc is a distributor of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) supplies for businesses, government agencies and other organizations. Its product offerings include safety equipment, tools, fasteners, electrical and plumbing supplies, material-handling equipment, cleaning and janitorial products, HVAC supplies, and facility-maintenance products.

The company also provides services designed to help customers manage procurement and workplace operations, including product selection support, inventory-management programs, digital purchasing tools, and technical assistance.

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