W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Sold by Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV

Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV decreased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 13.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,894 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,086 shares during the quarter. Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $7,171,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 37.2% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,017 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,178,000 after buying an additional 1,090 shares during the period. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at $247,000. Ascent Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.0% in the second quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 512 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $533,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at $61,000. Finally, Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.5% in the second quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 727 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $756,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Loop Capital reduced their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,035.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,069.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total transaction of $496,430.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,771 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,758,355.06. The trade was a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE:GWW opened at $957.17 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.29, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $893.99 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $987.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,016.92.

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

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th were given a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 11th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 22.94%.

About W.W. Grainger

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.