Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Buys 434,199 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 34,269.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 435,466 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 434,199 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $439,407,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Phoenix Financial Ltd. boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 15.5% during the fourth quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 327 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $330,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $24,481,000. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 483 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $487,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,022 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,067,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Associates Ltd. boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 2,219 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,239,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,047.00 to $1,171.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Three equities 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,199.13.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 2,339 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,064.73, for a total value of $2,490,403.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,897,511.55. This trade represents a 18.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total value of $1,051,325.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,554 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,913,067.24. This trade represents a 35.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 6,451 shares of company stock valued at $7,380,743 in the last ninety days. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting W.W. Grainger

Here are the key news stories impacting W.W. Grainger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp raised multiple earnings estimates for W.W. Grainger, including FY2026, Q2 2026, Q3 2026, and several 2027 periods, signaling improved expectations for profitability and growth. W.W. Grainger stock page
• Positive Sentiment: The company recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, with revenue up 10.1% year over year, and management raised full-year guidance, which supports the stock’s recent strength. W.W. Grainger earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: W.W. Grainger also increased its quarterly dividend, reinforcing confidence in cash flow and shareholder returns. W.W. Grainger dividend update
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and investors are focused on post-earnings commentary, including margin trends and whether the company can sustain its guidance. WW Grainger’s Q1 earnings call: Our top 5 analyst questions
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling by several executives, including VP Laurie Thomson, SVP Jonny M. Leroy, and VP Paige K. Robbins, could weigh on sentiment even though the sales were disclosed and may simply reflect personal portfolio activity. W.W. Grainger insider buying and selling alert

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.0%

GWW opened at $1,271.77 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $906.52 and a 1-year high of $1,286.56. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.04. The business has a 50 day moving average of $1,135.50 and a 200-day moving average of $1,069.55.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. The business had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.43 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be given a $2.49 dividend. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.79%.

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.