Wealthfront Advisers LLC Increases Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,932 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $9,291,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Interchange Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $76,000. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 3.3% during the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 313 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. MQS Management LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 6.6% during the second quarter. MQS Management LLC now owns 1,057 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,100,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 5.4% during the second quarter. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs now owns 1,835 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,909,000 after buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.5% during the second quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 14,368 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $14,946,000 after buying an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.1%

GWW opened at $978.66 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $982.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,016.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.83, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 1.64. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $893.99 and a one year high of $1,227.66.

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). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The business had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.76 EPS. The company’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 predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th were given a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 11th. 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. Barclays started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $963.00 price objective for the company. 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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, October 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,053.71.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total value of $496,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,758,355.06. This represents a 22.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

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.