Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. Reduces Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. trimmed its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,940 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 378 shares during the quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $19,410,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mattern Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 12,234 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $12,345,000 after acquiring an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,048,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake 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 last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 160.6% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 68,139 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $68,756,000 after purchasing an additional 41,990 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 72.3% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 2,353 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,374,000 after purchasing an additional 987 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total transaction of $1,795,446.53. Following the completion of the sale, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total value of $385,518.97. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $491,444.31. The trade was a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 2,624 shares of company stock worth $3,232,291 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,363.25 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $64.36 billion, a PE ratio of 36.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.03. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,287.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,164.73. 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 $1,390.96.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The company had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $9.86 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter 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 45.47 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of 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. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 target price for the company. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,171.00 to $1,166.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,216.44.

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.