W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Stake Raised by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Key Points

• HSBC Holdings PLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 9.3% in the first quarter, ending with 144,596 shares valued at about $157.6 million. Institutional investors still hold a large majority of the stock, at 80.7%.
• Grainger reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $11.65 beating estimates and revenue of $4.74 billion topping forecasts. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $2.49 from $2.26.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious overall, with a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,230.11. Meanwhile, the stock traded near $1,392.73, close to its 52-week high of $1,419.91.

Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 9.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 144,596 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,250 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned 0.31% of W.W. Grainger worth $157,632,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total value of $1,795,446.53. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,232 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,750,471.28. This trade represents a 39.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total value of $385,518.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 399 shares in the company, valued at $491,444.31. The trade was a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 2,624 shares of company stock worth $3,232,291. 6.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,171.00 to $1,166.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,230.11.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.7%

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,392.73 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.03. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $1,312.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,178.69. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $906.52 and a 1-year high of $1,419.91.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released 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. The business had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. W.W. Grainger's quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $9.86 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a $2.49 dividend. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 26.79%.

W.W. Grainger Company 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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