W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Sold by Fruth Investment Management

Fruth Investment Management lowered its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,569 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 498 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger comprises about 4.5% of Fruth Investment Management’s holdings, making the stock its largest position. Fruth Investment Management’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $18,073,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1,462.1% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,071,854 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,081,554,000 after acquiring an additional 1,003,237 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $518,958,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 34,269.9% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 435,466 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $439,407,000 after purchasing an additional 434,199 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 61.1% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,027,286 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,036,584,000 after purchasing an additional 389,589 shares during the period. Finally, Sustainable Growth Advisers LP acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at approximately $239,597,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on GWW shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. 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 on the stock. Stephens upped their price objective 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. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,216.44.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.6%

GWW opened at $1,353.16 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,252.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,141.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.04. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $906.52 and a 12 month high of $1,390.96.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.86 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $2.49 per share. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 26.79%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total transaction of $1,795,446.53. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,232 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,750,471.28. This represents a 39.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total transaction of $385,518.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $491,444.31. This represents a 43.96% decrease in their position. 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 90 days. Company insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

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.