Willis Investment Counsel Purchases 5,125 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Willis Investment Counsel raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 49.0% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 15,582 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,125 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $14,849,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position 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 worth $338,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 18.0% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,851 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,816,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 45.4% in the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 442 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $460,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 35.9% during the 2nd quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 348 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $362,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,187.56 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $1,033.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $996.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 2.83. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $893.99 and a 52-week high of $1,204.36. The stock has a market cap of $56.47 billion, a PE ratio of 33.55, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.10.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.46 by ($0.02). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.46% and a net margin of 9.51%.The company had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.39 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $9.71 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th will be given a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.54%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 14,523 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,249,953.82. This trade represents a 5.79% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 26,881 shares of company stock worth $26,157,155 in the last three months. 6.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of 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. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,045.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut 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 note on Tuesday, November 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,052.00.

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.