Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $60.97 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 55,891 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,572 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $60,966,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Stephens downgraded W.W. Grainger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $1,355.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. DA Davidson began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,337.00 to $1,460.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,230.11.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total transaction of $1,795,446.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,232 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,750,471.28. The trade was a 39.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total value of $385,518.97. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $491,444.31. This trade represents a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,624 shares of company stock worth $3,232,291. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,392.73 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $1,312.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,178.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.46, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.03. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $906.52 and a 52 week high of $1,419.91.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.The business had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.46 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a dividend of $2.49 per share. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.