FSM Wealth Advisors LLC Lowers Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

FSM Wealth Advisors LLC lessened its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 54.9% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 616 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 750 shares during the period. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $587,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Quaker Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 196.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 24 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 316.7% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 25 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 136.4% during the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 26 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total value of $199,666.35. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,174 shares in the company, valued at $3,249,953.82. This represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,163 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $972.57, for a total transaction of $11,829,368.91. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 103,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,035,434.45. The trade was a 10.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 26,881 shares of company stock worth $26,157,155 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,023.98 on Monday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $893.99 and a 52 week high of $1,139.15. The company’s 50 day moving average is $971.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $992.28. The company has a market cap of $48.69 billion, a PE ratio of 28.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 1.59 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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.95 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $4.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.64 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.75% and a return on equity of 49.40%. The company’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.87 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. Equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price target for the company. Barclays increased their price objective 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $1,009.43.

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.