Smart Money Group LLC Invests $929,000 in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Smart Money Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 852 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $929,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,019,452 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,037,728,000 after acquiring an additional 23,399 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,217,834 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,230,214,000 after acquiring an additional 10,533 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1,462.1% during the fourth 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 purchasing an additional 1,003,237 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 61.1% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.5% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 659,158 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $628,151,000 after purchasing an additional 3,114 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the business’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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,232 shares in the company, valued at $2,750,471.28. The trade was a 39.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was 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 owned 1,554 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,913,067.24. This represents a 35.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 2,624 shares of company stock worth $3,232,291. Insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the subject of a number of research reports. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 target price for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Stephens cut W.W. Grainger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $1,355.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,337.00 to $1,460.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,230.11.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of GWW opened at $1,399.30 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $906.52 and a 52-week high of $1,405.72. The stock has a market cap of $66.06 billion, a PE ratio of 37.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.03. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $1,309.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,177.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. The business had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. Research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

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

Key Stories Impacting W.W. Grainger

Here are the key news stories impacting W.W. Grainger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target on W.W. Grainger to $1,460 from $1,337, implying roughly 4.3% upside from the current price while keeping a sector perform rating. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research slightly increased its earnings estimates for Q2 2026 and Q2 2028, suggesting expectations remain solid for Grainger’s earnings power. MarketBeat
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage flow remains mixed: one report noted Grainger reached a new 52-week high, while another said Stephens lowered the stock to equal weight, indicating opinions are still somewhat divided. American Banking News American Banking News

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.