W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Stake Reduced by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its W.W. Grainger stake by 7.6% in the first quarter, while institutional investors overall own 80.7% of the company. Insiders also sold $3.23 million worth of shares during the past quarter.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with a consensus “Hold” rating from 11 analysts and an average price target of $1,230.11, below the stock’s reported opening price of $1,385.45.
• Grainger exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $11.65 in EPS and $4.74 billion in revenue, up 10.1% year over year. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $2.49 per share, equivalent to a 0.7% yield.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company trimmed its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 7.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,086 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,898 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $25,182,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Miller Capital Partners Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 34.5% in the first quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total transaction of $1,795,446.53. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 2,232 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,750,471.28. The trade was a 39.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 2,624 shares of company stock worth $3,232,291 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. Stephens cut W.W. Grainger from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $1,355.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Wall Street Zen downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,337.00 to $1,460.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,230.11.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,385.45 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $906.52 and a fifty-two week high of $1,419.91. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $1,336.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,203.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The company has a market cap of $65.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.03.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 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 business had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.86 EPS. The firm'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. As a group, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.46 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be issued a $2.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. W.W. Grainger's dividend 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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