Formidable Asset Management LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Formidable Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 33.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,415 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 709 shares during the quarter. Formidable Asset Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,349,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Accredited Investors Inc. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 136.4% during the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 26 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 211.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,118.40 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The firm has a market cap of $52.93 billion, a PE ratio of 31.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.09. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $893.99 and a 12 month high of $1,218.63. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1,109.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,026.76.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.46 by ($0.01). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.46% and a net margin of 9.51%.The business had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.71 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 25.54%.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 2,339 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,064.73, for a total transaction of $2,490,403.47. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 10,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,897,511.55. The trade was a 18.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of several recent research reports. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Barclays lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,044.00 to $1,047.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,190.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,096.71.

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.