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

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems cut its W.W. Grainger stake by 43.5% in the third quarter, selling 3,400 shares and retaining 4,420 shares valued at approximately $5.5 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.7% of GWW.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed, with three Buy, eight Hold, and two Sell ratings. The stock carries a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $1,253.85.
• Grainger reported quarterly EPS of $12.01, beating estimates of $11.30, while revenue rose 10.3% year over year to $5.02 billion. The company also declared a $2.49 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 0.7% annualized yield.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al decreased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 43.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,420 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,400 shares during the quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,506,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth approximately $324,824,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1,353.1% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 31,242 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $42,502,000 after acquiring an additional 29,092 shares in the last quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 15.2% in the second quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 6,816 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $9,272,000 after acquiring an additional 899 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at $11,591,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 527,969 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $575,914,000 after acquiring an additional 22,731 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,365.00 to $1,400.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, October 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of 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 decreased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,185.00 to $1,172.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Stephens lowered W.W. Grainger from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $1,355.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,253.85.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW opened at $1,357.84 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $63.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.01. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $906.52 and a fifty-two week high of $1,419.91. The company's 50-day moving average price is $1,300.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,235.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 2.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $12.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $11.30 by $0.71. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 48.73%. The firm had revenue of $5.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.97 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 45.500-47.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect 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 declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 9th. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.40%.

W.W. Grainger Profile

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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