W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Stock Position Decreased by Marks Group Wealth Management Inc

Marks Group Wealth Management Inc cut its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 9.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 7,889 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 796 shares during the quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $7,960,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $518,958,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 34,269.9% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 435,466 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $439,407,000 after purchasing an additional 434,199 shares during the period. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at $239,597,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,731,880 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,462,252,000 after purchasing an additional 104,607 shares during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 899.0% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 94,737 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $95,594,000 after purchasing an additional 85,254 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.3%

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,304.09 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,193.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,105.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $906.52 and a 12 month high of $1,309.16. The stock has a market cap of $61.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.04.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The business had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.86 EPS. W.W. Grainger’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, sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a dividend of $2.49 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.79%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on 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 owned 399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $491,444.31. The trade was a 43.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,554 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,451 shares of company stock valued at $7,380,743. Insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,047.00 to $1,171.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised 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 report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,212.88.

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.