W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Sold by Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd lowered its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 57.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 661 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 897 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $667,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 483 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $487,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the period. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 788 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $795,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,805,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Sawyer & Company Inc boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Sawyer & Company Inc now owns 676 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $682,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dearborn Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC now owns 305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $308,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.1%

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,314.92 on Tuesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $906.52 and a 12 month high of $1,349.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market cap of $62.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.04. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,216.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,118.73.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.The business had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a dividend of $2.49 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on GWW. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,212.88.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total transaction of $385,518.97. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 399 shares in the company, valued at $491,444.31. This represents a 43.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total transaction of $1,658,048.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,541 shares in the company, valued at $11,745,625.48. This represents a 12.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,451 shares of company stock worth $7,380,743. 6.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger 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.