Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Has $31.13 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,668 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 1,374 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $31,131,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Huntleigh Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 92.4% in the third quarter. Huntleigh Advisors Inc. now owns 556 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $530,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 98.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 591 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $563,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $69,000. Vista Investment Partners II LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vista Investment Partners II LLC now owns 2,179 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,077,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at approximately $985,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.8%

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,066.76 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $50.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.12. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $1,000.05 and a 200-day moving average of $991.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 1.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $893.99 and a one year high of $1,139.15.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $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 expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on GWW shares. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Barclays increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $1,016.57.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,163 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $972.57, for a total value of $11,829,368.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 103,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $101,035,434.45. This trade represents a 10.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. The trade was a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 26,881 shares of company stock valued at $26,157,155. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.