Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Makes New Investment in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,200 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,400,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in GWW. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,462.1% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,071,854 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $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 during the 4th quarter worth approximately $518,958,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in 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 W.W. Grainger by 61.1% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Finally, Sustainable Growth Advisers LP purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at approximately $239,597,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total value of $1,051,325.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,554 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,913,067.24. This trade represents a 35.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total transaction of $1,658,048.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 10,541 shares in the company, valued at $11,745,625.48. This represents a 12.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,112 shares of company stock worth $4,890,339. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,353.24 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,256.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,145.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.89 billion, a PE ratio of 36.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.04. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $906.52 and a fifty-two week high of $1,390.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.69.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.39 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued 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 positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on GWW shares. Stephens upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. DA Davidson began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,171.00 to $1,166.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger 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.