Jonny Leroy Sells 500 Shares of W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Stock

Key Points

• Jonny Leroy, Senior Vice President of W.W. Grainger, sold 500 shares at an average price of $992.86, decreasing his ownership by 22.02%.
• The company's stock price rose by 2.1% to $1,015.32, with a market capitalization of $48.56 billion.
• W.W. Grainger reported $9.97 EPS for the last quarter, missing analyst estimates, while setting a FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS.

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) SVP Jonny Leroy sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total value of $496,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,758,355.06. This represents a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 2.1%

NYSE GWW traded up $21.26 during trading on Thursday, hitting $1,015.32. The stock had a trading volume of 357,985 shares, compared to its average volume of 290,564. The company has a market capitalization of $48.56 billion, a PE ratio of 25.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $893.99 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The company's 50-day moving average price is $1,010.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,018.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.82.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.07 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.76 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th were given a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.94%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 46.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $338,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.7% during the fourth quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,034 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,144,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 6,610 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $6,975,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 25.3% in the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 13,305 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $14,024,000 after purchasing an additional 2,684 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $425,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,035.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,069.13.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

W.W. Grainger, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services primarily in North America, Japan, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety, security, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance, and metalworking and hand tools.

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