Simon Quick Advisors LLC Grows Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Simon Quick Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 25.4% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 257 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $267,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at about $285,574,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 10.1% in the first 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 in the last quarter. Kodai Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at $67,601,000. Interval Partners LP grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,429.9% in the first quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 67,957 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $67,130,000 after purchasing an additional 63,515 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.1% in the first 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 in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on GWW. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target 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. Loop Capital decreased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Barclays initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $963.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,059.86.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of GWW opened at $965.33 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $978.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,015.94. The stock has a market cap of $46.17 billion, a PE ratio of 24.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $893.99 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.95 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.64 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $9.87 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th will be paid a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.35%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total value of $496,430.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.