W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Sold by Securian Asset Management Inc.

Key Points

• Securian Asset Management cut its stake in W.W. Grainger by 42.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 893 shares and leaving it with 1,227 shares valued at about $1.24 million.
• Grainger reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $11.65 versus the $10.21 consensus and revenue of $4.74 billion, up 10.1% year over year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $2.49 per share from $2.26, and analysts currently view the stock as a Hold overall with a consensus price target of $1,199.13.

Securian Asset Management Inc. lowered its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 42.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,227 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 893 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,238,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,805,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Sawyer & Company Inc grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Sawyer & Company Inc now owns 676 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $682,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Wells Trecaso Financial Group LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wells Trecaso Financial Group LLC now owns 212 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $202,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.3% in the third quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 3,958 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,772,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, AGH Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.9% in the third quarter. AGH Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 344 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $328,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.0%

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,237.89 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $58.44 billion, a PE ratio of 33.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.04. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $906.52 and a 12 month high of $1,286.56. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $1,128.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,063.89. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.86 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue 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 anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.24 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be given a $2.49 dividend. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 26.79%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total transaction of $1,658,048.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,541 shares in the company, valued at $11,745,625.48. This trade represents a 12.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Stephens lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target 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, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,199.13.

About W.W. Grainger

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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