Interval Partners LP Invests $162.80 Million in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Interval Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 161,339 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $162,799,000. W.W. Grainger accounts for approximately 2.9% of Interval Partners LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Interval Partners LP owned 0.34% of W.W. Grainger as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.9% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,731,880 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,462,252,000 after acquiring an additional 104,607 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,019,452 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,037,728,000 after acquiring an additional 23,399 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,217,834 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,230,214,000 after acquiring an additional 10,533 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 61.1% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,027,286 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,036,584,000 after acquiring an additional 389,589 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.5% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 659,158 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $628,151,000 after acquiring an additional 3,114 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,310.57 on Thursday. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1,224.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,123.95. The company has a market cap of $61.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.25, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.04. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $906.52 and a 12 month high of $1,349.74.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.86 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $2.49 dividend. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 26.79%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 2,339 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 24th. The shares were 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 owned 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,897,511.55. This represents a 18.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were 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 owned 2,232 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,750,471.28. This represents a 39.50% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 6,451 shares of company stock worth $7,380,743. Insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. DA Davidson initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 target price for the company. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,047.00 to $1,171.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,217.00.

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.