Truist Financial Corp lessened its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 10.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,220 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,967 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $16,367,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of GWW. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,805,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Sawyer & Company Inc increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Sawyer & Company Inc now owns 676 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $682,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 277 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $264,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Wells Trecaso Financial Group LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $202,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, Rafferty Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.3% during 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 buying an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
W.W. Grainger Trading Up 5.6%
NYSE:GWW opened at $1,235.14 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $58.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.04. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $1,121.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,058.34. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $906.52 and a 52 week high of $1,286.56.
W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.46% and a net margin of 9.51%.The company had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.86 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue 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, research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 43.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.
W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a dividend of $2.49 per share. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 28.14%.
Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger
In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 2,339 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 of the company's stock, valued at $10,897,511.55. This trade represents a 18.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
W.W. Grainger News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting W.W. Grainger this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations — GAAP diluted EPS $11.65 vs. consensus ~$10.2 and revenue $4.74B vs. ~$4.58B; sales rose ~10% y/y and operating margin improved ~110 bps, showing margin expansion. GRAINGER REPORTS RESULTS FOR THE FIRST QUARTER 2026
- Positive Sentiment: Company raised FY2026 guidance — EPS guide of $44.25–$46.25 (above consensus) and revenue guide $19.2B–$19.6B, implying continued top‑line momentum. MarketBeat: GWW overview
- Positive Sentiment: Services demand cited as a growth driver; management signaled confident growth on the earnings call and analysts lifted views after the print. WW Grainger raises annual profit forecast on strong services demand
- Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns and cash generation: $739M operating cash flow in Q1 and $345M returned via dividends and buybacks; announced a 10% quarterly dividend increase — supports total‑return thesis. GRAINGER REPORTS RESULTS FOR THE FIRST QUARTER 2026
- Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and materials available for deeper due diligence (transcript and slide deck). Useful for investors wanting color on segment performance and execution. Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
- Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and expectations: GWW currently trades at a premium (PE ~34.9, PEG ~2.47) — the premium may limit upside if growth or margin improvements slow. (Background metrics from market summaries.)
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of 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. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price 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. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,044.00 to $1,047.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,118.14.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on W.W. Grainger
W.W. Grainger Profile
(
Free Report)
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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