Donald Macpherson Sells 14,523 Shares of W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Stock

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) CEO Donald Macpherson sold 14,523 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $972.81, for a total transaction of $14,128,119.63. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 107,862 shares in the company, valued at $104,929,232.22. The trade was a 11.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $959.24 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $953.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $997.63. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $893.99 and a fifty-two week high of $1,169.73. The firm has a market cap of $45.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $0.26. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.40% and a net margin of 9.75%.The company had revenue of $4.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.87 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 25.35%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Quaker Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 196.0% in the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 24 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 316.7% during the second quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 25 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $27,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on GWW shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 target price on the stock. Barclays lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $1,009.43.

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.