W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Sold by Orange Investment Advisors Inc.

Orange Investment Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 11.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,018 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 790 shares during the period. Orange Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $6,072,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mattern Capital Management LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 12,234 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $12,345,000 after buying an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 15.1% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 7,523 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,169,000 after purchasing an additional 987 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at about $4,205,000. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 20.4% in the 3rd quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 5,947 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,667,000 after purchasing an additional 1,008 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 212.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 54,215 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,795,000 after purchasing an additional 36,855 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on GWW shares. Stephens raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,199.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total value of $1,795,446.53. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 2,232 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,750,471.28. This trade represents a 39.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total transaction of $1,051,325.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,554 shares in the company, valued at $1,913,067.24. The trade was a 35.47% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 6,451 shares of company stock valued at $7,380,743 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.4%

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,239.64 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $58.52 billion, a PE ratio of 33.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.04. 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 50-day moving average price of $1,145.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,078.21. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $906.52 and a 52 week high of $1,286.56.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share 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 net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The company’s revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be given a dividend of $2.49 per share. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. This is a positive change 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 is presently 26.79%.

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.