Laurie Thomson Sells 313 Shares of W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Stock

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) VP Laurie Thomson sold 313 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president owned 399 shares in the company, valued at approximately $491,444.31. This trade represents a 43.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.0%

GWW opened at $1,271.77 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $906.52 and a one year high of $1,286.56. The company has a market cap of $60.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.21, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.69. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,135.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,069.55.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $9.86 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a $2.49 dividend. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on GWW shares. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,199.13.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Castleark Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth about $6,119,000. Cardiff Park Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 19.3% during the first quarter. Cardiff Park Advisors LLC now owns 673 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $735,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 124.2% during the first quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 4,181 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,561,000 after purchasing an additional 2,316 shares in the last quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth about $3,437,000. Finally, Waverly Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.0% during the first quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 1,147 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,251,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Key W.W. Grainger News

Here are the key news stories impacting W.W. Grainger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp raised multiple earnings estimates for W.W. Grainger, including FY2026, Q2 2026, Q3 2026, and several 2027 periods, signaling improved expectations for profitability and growth. W.W. Grainger stock page
• Positive Sentiment: The company recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, with revenue up 10.1% year over year, and management raised full-year guidance, which supports the stock’s recent strength. W.W. Grainger earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: W.W. Grainger also increased its quarterly dividend, reinforcing confidence in cash flow and shareholder returns. W.W. Grainger dividend update
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and investors are focused on post-earnings commentary, including margin trends and whether the company can sustain its guidance. WW Grainger’s Q1 earnings call: Our top 5 analyst questions
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling by several executives, including VP Laurie Thomson, SVP Jonny M. Leroy, and VP Paige K. Robbins, could weigh on sentiment even though the sales were disclosed and may simply reflect personal portfolio activity. W.W. Grainger insider buying and selling alert

W.W. Grainger Company 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.