BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments Increases Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 20.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments’ holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,065,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of GWW. Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 211.1% during 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 during the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased 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 worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. State of Wyoming increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 650.0% during the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger 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 directly owned 399 shares in the company, valued at $491,444.31. This represents a 43.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 2,339 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,064.73, for a total transaction of $2,490,403.47. Following 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,451 shares of company stock valued at $7,380,743. 6.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,329.03 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,198.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,108.06. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $906.52 and a 52 week high of $1,330.32. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company has a market cap of $62.74 billion, a PE ratio of 35.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.04.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. The business had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.86 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.34 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,047.00 to $1,171.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of 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. Stephens upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,212.88.

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.