Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 71.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,011 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,539 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,020,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,731,880 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,462,252,000 after buying an additional 104,607 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,996,053 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,902,159,000 after buying an additional 13,779 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 659,158 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $628,151,000 after buying an additional 3,114 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 477,693 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $482,016,000 after buying an additional 34,307 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 34,269.9% during 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 buying an additional 434,199 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,247.99 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $58.92 billion, a PE ratio of 33.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.04. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $906.52 and a 12-month high of $1,286.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,162.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,088.43.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. The business had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.86 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.34 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a dividend of $2.49 per share. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,047.00 to $1,171.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,212.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total transaction of $385,518.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 399 shares in the company, valued at $491,444.31. This represents a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total value of $1,795,446.53. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 2,232 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,750,471.28. This represents a 39.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 6,451 shares of company stock worth $7,380,743 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

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.