LS Investment Advisors LLC Cuts Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

LS Investment Advisors LLC lessened its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,384 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 757 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger comprises 1.7% of LS Investment Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. LS Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $11,801,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of GWW. Fiduciary Alliance LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $274,000. Pure Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at approximately $287,000. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 128.8% in the second quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 2,128 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,214,000 after buying an additional 1,198 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 7.5% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 15,989 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $15,795,000 after buying an additional 1,120 shares during the period. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 7.8% during the 2nd quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 19,712 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,455,000 after acquiring an additional 1,428 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE GWW opened at $1,004.06 on Monday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $893.99 and a 12-month high of $1,139.15. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $976.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $990.64. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock has a market cap of $47.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.12.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.95 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $4.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.64 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.40% and a net margin of 9.75%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.87 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 25.35%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total value of $199,666.35. Following the sale, the vice president owned 3,174 shares in the company, valued at $3,249,953.82. This represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,163 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $972.57, for a total value of $11,829,368.91. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 103,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,035,434.45. This trade represents a 10.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 26,881 shares of company stock valued at $26,157,155. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on GWW. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective 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. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $1,009.43.

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.