Intech Investment Management LLC Decreases Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Intech Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 48.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,732 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,529 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,757,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mattern Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 12,234 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $12,345,000 after buying an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth about $4,205,000. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 20.4% during the third quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 5,947 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,667,000 after buying an additional 1,008 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 212.3% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 54,215 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,795,000 after purchasing an additional 36,855 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.4% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 109,723 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $104,562,000 after purchasing an additional 2,548 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays increased 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 report on Tuesday, May 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Stephens increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,212.88.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock opened at $1,267.81 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $1,170.46 and a 200-day moving average of $1,092.51. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $906.52 and a 12 month high of $1,286.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.04.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 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 analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’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. As a group, 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a $2.49 dividend. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.79%.

Insider Activity

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 value of $1,795,446.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,232 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,750,471.28. This trade represents a 39.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total transaction of $1,051,325.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,554 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,913,067.24. This trade represents a 35.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 6,451 shares of company stock valued at $7,380,743 over the last ninety days. 6.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.