Sterling Capital Management LLC Buys 1,514 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 188.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,319 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,514 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,530,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.0% during the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,236,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 6.9% in the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,918 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,092,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. Columbus Macro LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Columbus Macro LLC now owns 6,473 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,060,000 after buying an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 978 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,067,000 after buying an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth $2,400,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 value of $385,518.97. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $491,444.31. This trade represents a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the business’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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,554 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,913,067.24. This represents a 35.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 4,112 shares of company stock valued at $4,890,339 over the last quarter. 6.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,353.16 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $1,252.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,143.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.89 billion, a PE ratio of 36.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.04. 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 fifty-two week low of $906.52 and a fifty-two week high of $1,390.96.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.The company had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.86 EPS. 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. As a group, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 annualized dividend 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 is presently 26.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. 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. DA Davidson initiated 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 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,216.44.

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.