Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV Increases Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV raised its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 20.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,947 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,008 shares during the period. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,667,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GWW. Quaker Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 196.0% during the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 24 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Asset Dedication LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 136.4% during the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 26 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, Tobam lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3,900.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tobam now owns 40 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Barclays increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,060.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,163 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 $101,035,434.45. This represents a 10.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. This represents a 5.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 26,881 shares of company stock worth $26,157,155. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,198.11 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.97 billion, a PE ratio of 33.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.10. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $893.99 and a 52 week high of $1,204.36. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,038.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $997.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.46 by ($0.02). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.46% and a net margin of 9.51%.The business had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.39 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.71 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th will be paid a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.54%.

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.