Fruth Investment Management Sells 498 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Fruth Investment Management cut its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,569 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 498 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger accounts for about 4.5% of Fruth Investment Management’s portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Fruth Investment Management’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $18,073,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted 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 valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% during the 4th 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 period. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total value of $385,518.97. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 399 shares in the company, valued at approximately $491,444.31. The trade was a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total value of $1,051,325.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,554 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,913,067.24. The trade was a 35.47% 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 4,112 shares of company stock worth $4,890,339. 6.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays decreased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,171.00 to $1,166.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target 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. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective 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. DA Davidson assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 target price for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,216.44.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,353.16 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.60. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $906.52 and a 1-year high of $1,390.96. The stock has a market cap of $63.88 billion, a PE ratio of 36.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.04. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1,252.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,141.94.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued 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 company had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.86 earnings per share. The business’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 anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.39 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

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

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.