Russell Investments Group Ltd. Purchases 2,895 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 7.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,059 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,895 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $38,098,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Inceptionr LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at about $387,000. Schroder Investment Management Group increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.6% during the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 90,749 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $86,028,000 after buying an additional 7,170 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 22.7% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,315 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,206,000 after buying an additional 429 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at approximately $381,000. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 647.4% in the 3rd quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,550 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,383,000 after acquiring an additional 3,075 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,109.86 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $52.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 2.83. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $1,099.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,020.23. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $893.99 and a 52-week high of $1,218.63.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.45 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.46 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $4.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.39 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.51% and a return on equity of 47.46%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $9.71 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 25.54%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total transaction of $199,666.35. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. This represents a 5.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,071.38.

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.