W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Acquired by Scientech Research LLC

Scientech Research LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 568.1% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,550 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,318 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger accounts for approximately 0.4% of Scientech Research LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Scientech Research LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,531,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,685.7% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $123,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.3% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 5,095 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,033,000 after buying an additional 256 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 116.0% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 33,917 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $33,506,000 after buying an additional 18,216 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 701 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $692,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.8% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,970 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,796,000 after buying an additional 564 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital decreased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,035.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,069.13.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 3.4%

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $993.59 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,012.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,019.12. The company has a market cap of $47.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $893.99 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.82.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.07 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%.The company’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.76 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th were given a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 11th. 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 22.94%.

W.W. Grainger Profile

W.W. Grainger, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services primarily in North America, Japan, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety, security, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance, and metalworking and hand tools.