Carderock Capital Management Inc. Increases Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Carderock Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 12.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,874 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 760 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger accounts for 2.1% of Carderock Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Carderock Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $9,351,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 46.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $338,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 18.0% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,851 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,816,000 after buying an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 169.6% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,826 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,980,000 after acquiring an additional 2,407 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $208,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 35.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 41,388 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $43,051,000 after acquiring an additional 10,784 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on GWW. Stephens downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $1,355.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,337.00 to $1,460.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective 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 report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,265.12.

Trending Headlines about W.W. Grainger

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

• Positive Sentiment: Grainger reported second-quarter sales of approximately $5.0 billion, up 10.3% year over year, while diluted EPS increased 20.5% to $12.01. Both figures exceeded analyst expectations, supported by strong demand, higher sales and operating-margin expansion to 16.1%. Grainger Reports Results for the Second Quarter 2026
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its full-year 2026 outlook, including adjusted EPS guidance of $45.50 to $47.25 and revenue guidance of $19.4 billion to $19.7 billion. Grainger also generated $444 million in operating cash flow and returned $341 million to shareholders through dividends and repurchases. Grainger Beats Q2 Earnings Estimates on Margin Gains, Raises Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts highlighted GWW as a strong momentum stock following the earnings release. However, momentum ratings do not materially change the company’s earnings outlook or valuation. Why W.W. Grainger Is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Negative Sentiment: The market’s negative reaction suggests the earnings beat and guidance increase may have been largely anticipated. At roughly 35 times earnings, GWW’s valuation leaves less room for disappointment, while the updated EPS range is broadly in line with consensus expectations. Margin gains also included IEEPA tariff refunds, which investors may view as a potentially nonrecurring benefit. W.W. Grainger Q2 2026 Beats on Revenue but Stock Drops
• Negative Sentiment: Grainger also named Laurie Thomson interim chief financial officer. The transition adds a modest execution and leadership-overhang risk, although no operational disruption was indicated. Grainger Names Laurie Thomson Interim Chief Financial Officer

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,300.60 on Wednesday. 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 company has a market cap of $61.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.04. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $1,339.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,208.74. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $906.52 and a 52-week high of $1,419.91.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $12.01 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $11.30 by $0.71. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The business had revenue of $5.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.97 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 45.500-47.250 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a dividend of $2.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.79%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total transaction of $1,795,446.53. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 2,232 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,750,471.28. This represents a 39.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total value of $385,518.97. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $491,444.31. This represents a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 2,624 shares of company stock valued at $3,232,291. Insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

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.