Principal Financial Group Inc. Purchases 2,572 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 55,891 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 2,572 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of W.W. Grainger worth $60,966,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,392.73 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1,312.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,178.69. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $906.52 and a 52-week high of $1,419.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.03.

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 the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The company had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a $2.49 dividend. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total transaction 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 represents a 39.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $1,051,325.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,554 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,913,067.24. The trade was a 35.47% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 2,624 shares of company stock worth $3,232,291 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on GWW. Barclays reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,171.00 to $1,166.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,337.00 to $1,460.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley raised 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 research report on Wednesday, May 27th. 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 research report on Tuesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on 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. Two 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,230.11.

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.