W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Acquired by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 83.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,319 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,563,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas now owns 1,211 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,321,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 39.9% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 354 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $386,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 40.2% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,513 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $18,013,000 after buying an additional 4,738 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 47.3% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 75,318 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $82,158,000 after buying an additional 24,172 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Castleark Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $6,119,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,337.00 to $1,460.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective 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. Stephens cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $1,355.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,171.00 to $1,166.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,230.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total value of $385,518.97. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $491,444.31. This trade represents a 43.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total value of $1,795,446.53. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 2,232 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,750,471.28. This trade represents a 39.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 2,624 shares of company stock worth $3,232,291 in the last three months. Insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,355.00 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $906.52 and a 12 month high of $1,419.91. The company’s fifty day moving average is $1,333.72 and its 200-day moving average is $1,202.17. The firm has a market cap of $63.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.03. 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 posted 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. The business had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.86 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. Equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a dividend of $2.49 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.79%.

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.