Nordea Investment Management AB Decreases Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Nordea Investment Management AB lowered its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 13.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 91,481 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 14,279 shares during the quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB owned 0.19% of W.W. Grainger worth $94,498,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth $25,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth $25,000. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 316.7% in the second quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 25 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Nova Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 52.6% in the second quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total value of $496,430.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,771 shares in the company, valued at $1,758,355.06. The trade was a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 6.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Loop Capital cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,053.71.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $956.36 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $982.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,015.05. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $893.99 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.74 billion, a PE ratio of 24.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.17.

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

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th were given a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 11th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 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.