W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Sold by VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al

Key Points

• VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al cut its W.W. Grainger stake by 73.2% in the fourth quarter, selling 18,600 shares and leaving it with 6,800 shares worth about $6.86 million.
• Grainger reported strong quarterly results, including EPS of $11.65 versus $10.21 expected and revenue of $4.74 billion, up 10.1% year over year. The company also raised its FY 2026 EPS guidance to 44.25–46.25.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $2.49 per share from $2.26, while analysts currently have an average Hold rating and a consensus price target of $1,199.13.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al lowered its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 73.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 6,800 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 18,600 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $6,862,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of GWW. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 46.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $338,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 18.0% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,851 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,816,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 169.6% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,826 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,980,000 after purchasing an additional 2,407 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $208,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 35.2% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 41,388 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $43,051,000 after purchasing an additional 10,784 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,252.57 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $906.52 and a 12-month high of $1,286.56. The stock has a market cap of $59.14 billion, a PE ratio of 33.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company has a 50-day moving average of $1,130.43 and a 200 day moving average of $1,065.91.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.86 EPS. W.W. Grainger's 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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a $2.49 dividend. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on GWW shares. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,047.00 to $1,171.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Oppenheimer boosted 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 note on Wednesday, February 4th. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised 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 issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,199.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 2,339 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,897,511.55. The trade was a 18.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 6.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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