W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Purchased by Virtus Investment Advisers LLC

Virtus Investment Advisers LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 8.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,365 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,420,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $536,916,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth $285,574,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 4.4% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,627,273 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,853,714,000 after purchasing an additional 238,895 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 10.1% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 822,411 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $812,403,000 after purchasing an additional 75,644 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kodai Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth about $67,601,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.4%

GWW opened at $945.81 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $893.99 and a 52 week high of $1,221.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $954.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,005.49. The firm has a market cap of $44.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.17.

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 net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The business had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.87 earnings per share. The business’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 expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be issued 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 presently 25.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on GWW. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday. Barclays lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on 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. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $1,009.43.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total transaction of $496,430.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,758,355.06. This trade represents a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.