BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Boosts Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 14.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,485 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,538 shares during the quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $13,619,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 211.1% in the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total value of $1,795,446.53. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 2,232 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,750,471.28. This trade represents a 39.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 2,339 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $10,897,511.55. This represents a 18.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,451 shares of company stock valued at $7,380,743. Insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,047.00 to $1,171.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted 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 report on Tuesday, April 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,217.00.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,364.88 on Monday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $906.52 and a one year high of $1,365.42. The company’s 50-day moving average is $1,234.04 and its 200 day moving average is $1,129.84. The company has a market capitalization of $64.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.69.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $2.49 dividend. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.79%.

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.