Aviva PLC Reduces Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Aviva PLC cut its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 5.8% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 58,208 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,603 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $60,550,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Hilltop National Bank bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Quaker Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 196.0% during the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 24 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 316.7% in the second quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 25 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Finally, Nova Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Loop Capital decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 4th. Barclays raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,061.57.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares in the company, valued at $1,758,355.06. This trade represents a 22.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW opened at $955.71 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.25, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a fifty day moving average of $973.73 and a 200 day moving average of $1,014.73. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $0.26. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The business had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.87 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. As a group, 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 company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th will be paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 10th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.35%.

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.