Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Takes Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 59 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,388,378 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,322,801,000 after purchasing an additional 57,690 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 10.1% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 822,411 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $812,403,000 after purchasing an additional 75,644 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 416,086 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $410,975,000 after purchasing an additional 6,797 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 306,829 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $303,095,000 after purchasing an additional 13,330 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $285,574,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total transaction of $496,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,771 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,758,355.06. This trade represents a 22.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on GWW. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,035.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Barclays started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $963.00 price target on the stock. Loop Capital cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,073.88.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 2.3%

NYSE GWW opened at $946.61 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.02, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $981.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,016.55. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $893.99 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.07 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.76 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. On average, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th were given a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.94%.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

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.