Hudson Bay Capital Management LP Acquires 5,809 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Hudson Bay Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 290.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,809 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,809 shares during the quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $8,123,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Fiduciary Alliance LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth about $274,000. Pure Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $287,000. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 128.8% during the 2nd quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 2,128 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,214,000 after purchasing an additional 1,198 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 15,989 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $15,795,000 after purchasing an additional 1,120 shares during the period. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 7.8% in the second quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 19,712 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,455,000 after purchasing an additional 1,428 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,029.61 on Tuesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $893.99 and a 52-week high of $1,150.01. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $958.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $995.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 2.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.11.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $0.26. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.40% and a net margin of 9.75%.The firm had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $9.87 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. Research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th were given a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 25.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price 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 note on Monday, November 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $1,009.43.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,163 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $972.57, for a total transaction of $11,829,368.91. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 103,885 shares in the company, valued at $101,035,434.45. This trade represents a 10.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Profile

W.W. Grainger, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services primarily in North America, Japan, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety, security, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance, and metalworking and hand tools.