Aurdan Capital Management LLC Sells 866 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Aurdan Capital Management LLC lowered its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 9.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,069 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 866 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger comprises 2.4% of Aurdan Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest position. Aurdan Capital Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $7,689,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 7,523 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,169,000 after acquiring an additional 987 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 10.4% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 44,968 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,853,000 after purchasing an additional 4,228 shares during the last quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 470.8% in the third quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC now owns 14,447 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $13,768,000 after purchasing an additional 11,916 shares in the last quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd now owns 63,088 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $60,120,000 after buying an additional 2,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 60,164 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $57,334,000 after buying an additional 2,120 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on 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. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated 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. Barclays upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, 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 report on Monday, November 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,052.00.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. The trade was a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,163 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $972.57, for a total value of $11,829,368.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 103,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $101,035,434.45. This represents a 10.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 26,881 shares of company stock valued at $26,157,155 in the last three months. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,183.04 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $56.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.10. The business’s 50 day moving average is $1,033.95 and its 200-day moving average is $996.05. The company has a current ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $893.99 and a 1-year high of $1,204.36.

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

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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

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.