SEB Asset Management AB Acquires New Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

SEB Asset Management AB acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 39,031 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,575,000. SEB Asset Management AB owned about 0.08% of W.W. Grainger as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Miller Capital Partners Inc. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.7%

GWW opened at $1,392.73 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $1,312.23 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,178.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.60. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $906.52 and a one year high of $1,419.91.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.86 earnings per share. The business’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. Equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a $2.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. 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. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total value of $385,518.97. Following the sale, the vice president owned 399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $491,444.31. This trade represents a 43.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total value of $1,795,446.53. Following the sale, the vice president 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 2,624 shares of company stock valued at $3,232,291 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of several recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target 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. Royal Bank Of Canada increased 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 report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,230.11.

W.W. Grainger 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.