W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Shares Unloaded Rep. Julie Johnson

Representative Julie Johnson (D-Texas) recently sold shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW). In a filing disclosed on May 14th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in W.W. Grainger stock on April 7th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “MERRILL LYNCH LONG TERM GROWTH” account.

Representative Julie Johnson also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Fidelity National Information Services (NYSE:FIS) on 4/30/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Blackstone (NYSE:BX) on 4/22/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Fidelity National Information Services (NYSE:FIS) on 4/22/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) on 4/15/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) on 4/11/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of 3M (NYSE:MMM) on 4/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of DT Midstream (NYSE:DTM) on 4/7/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) on 4/7/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Howmet Aerospace (NYSE:HWM) on 4/7/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Carlisle Companies (NYSE:CSL) on 4/7/2025.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,102.43 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $52.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.48, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. The company’s 50 day moving average is $1,000.69 and its 200 day moving average is $1,065.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $874.98 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.62 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wolfe Research lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,120.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bancreek Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $3,687,000. Czech National Bank lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 9,609 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $10,128,000 after buying an additional 558 shares during the period. Brendel Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 496.6% during the fourth quarter. Brendel Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,007 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,170,000 after purchasing an additional 2,503 shares during the period. Columbus Macro LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 484.2% during the fourth quarter. Columbus Macro LLC now owns 5,830 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,145,000 after purchasing an additional 4,832 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 29.2% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,932,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total transaction of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares in the company, valued at $602,773.08. The trade was a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Representative Johnson

Julie Johnson (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2025. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Johnson (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Julie Johnson earned a B.A. in history and government from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 and a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1991. Johnson’s career experience includes working as an attorney.

About W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services primarily in North America, Japan, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety, security, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance, and metalworking and hand tools.