Boston Trust Walden Corp Acquires 1,085 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 53,656 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,085 shares during the quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $58,529,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 211.1% during the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW opened at $1,343.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,267.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,153.02. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $906.52 and a 1 year high of $1,390.96. The company has a market capitalization of $63.45 billion, a PE ratio of 36.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.03.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly 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. Research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.47 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $2.49 per share. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.79%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president directly 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,624 shares of company stock valued at $3,232,291. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on GWW shares. DA Davidson began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 target price for the company. 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 report on Friday, May 8th. Stephens increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,216.44.

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.