Candriam S.C.A. Grows Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Candriam S.C.A. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 5.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,786 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 970 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $18,502,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 46.8% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $338,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 1,209 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,194,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 238 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $235,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 10.3% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $126,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 79.8% in the 1st quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 365 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $360,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,758,355.06. This trade represents a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on GWW. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price objective for the company. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Loop Capital cut 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 note on Monday, August 4th. 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,018.00.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $934.58 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $967.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,012.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.71, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $893.99 and a 52-week high of $1,227.44.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.87 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be given a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 10th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 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.