W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Short Interest Up 13.7% in April

Key Points

• Short interest up 13.7% in April to 1,180,462 shares, representing about 2.7% of the stock and a days-to-cover ratio of 5.2.
• Dividend increased to $2.49 per share quarterly (up from $2.26), with an ex-dividend/record date of May 11 and an annualized payout of $9.96 (yield ~0.9%).
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $9.45 (missed by $0.01) and revenue of $4.43B, and set FY 2026 guidance of $42.25–$44.75 in EPS (analysts' consensus ~43.61).

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,180,462 shares, a growth of 13.7% from the March 31st total of 1,038,541 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 227,177 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.2 days. Approximately 2.7% of the company's stock are short sold.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,161.24 on Friday. W.W. Grainger has a twelve month low of $906.52 and a twelve month high of $1,218.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,118.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,052.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.09.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $9.46 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $4.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.39 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.51% and a return on equity of 47.46%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.71 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. Analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 43.61 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a dividend of $2.49 per share. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 25.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target 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. Barclays raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,044.00 to $1,047.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,118.14.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 2,339 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,064.73, for a total value of $2,490,403.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,897,511.55. This trade represents a 18.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1,462.1% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,071,854 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,081,554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,003,237 shares during the last quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth $721,202,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $518,958,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 34,269.9% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 435,466 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $439,407,000 after purchasing an additional 434,199 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 61.1% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,027,286 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,036,584,000 after buying an additional 389,589 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About W.W. Grainger

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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