Pacer Advisors Inc. Reduces Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Pacer Advisors Inc. cut its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 25.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,571 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,223 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,403,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. JGP Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. JGP Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,731 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $13,096,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.7% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,758 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,675,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.1% in the third quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 1,463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,394,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Albert D Mason Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.8% in the third quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 2,148 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,047,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 141.3% during the third quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management now owns 251 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $239,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Barclays upped 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. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $1,009.43.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.4%

GWW opened at $1,021.92 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $48.59 billion, a PE ratio of 28.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $893.99 and a 52 week high of $1,139.15. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $973.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $991.61.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $0.26. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.40% and a net margin of 9.75%.The firm had revenue of $4.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.87 earnings per share. The company’s 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, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th were given a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.35%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total transaction of $199,666.35. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 3,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. This trade represents a 5.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 14,523 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $972.81, for a total transaction of $14,128,119.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 107,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $104,929,232.22. The trade was a 11.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 26,881 shares of company stock worth $26,157,155 over the last three months. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

About W.W. Grainger

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.