Vest Financial LLC Acquires 4,975 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Vest Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 10.1% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 54,048 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,975 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $56,223,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,388,378 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,322,801,000 after purchasing an additional 57,690 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 10.1% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 822,411 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $812,403,000 after purchasing an additional 75,644 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 416,086 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $410,975,000 after purchasing an additional 6,797 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 306,829 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $303,095,000 after purchasing an additional 13,330 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at $285,574,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $946.61 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $981.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,016.55. The company has a market cap of $45.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.02, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $893.99 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.07 by ($0.10). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The company had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.76 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th were issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.94%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,758,355.06. The trade was a 22.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Barclays began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $963.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,035.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,073.88.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

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.