OLD Republic International Corp Has $44.90 Million Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Posted by Francis Steltz on May 24th, 2026

W.W. Grainger logo OLD Republic International Corp lessened its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW – Free Report) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,500 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the period. OLD Republic International Corp owned 0.09% of W.W. Grainger worth $44,903,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of GWW. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,731,880 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,462,252,000 after buying an additional 104,607 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,996,053 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,902,159,000 after buying an additional 13,779 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 659,158 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $628,151,000 after buying an additional 3,114 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 477,693 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $482,016,000 after buying an additional 34,307 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 34,269.9% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 435,466 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $439,407,000 after buying an additional 434,199 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,247.95 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $906.52 and a one year high of $1,286.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $1,148.54 and its 200 day moving average is $1,079.40. The firm has a market cap of $58.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.57, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.04.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.The company had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.35 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be paid a $2.49 dividend. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.79%.

Key W.W. Grainger News

Here are the key news stories impacting W.W. Grainger this week:

Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its full-year FY2026 EPS estimate for W.W. Grainger to $44.83 from $42.84, suggesting better near-term earnings momentum for the company.
Positive Sentiment: The firm also increased FY2027 EPS estimates to $49.39 from $48.13, reinforcing the view that earnings growth may continue into next year.
Positive Sentiment: Quarterly forecasts were lifted for Q2 2026, Q1 2027, Q2 2027, Q3 2027, and Q4 2027, indicating analysts see broad-based strength rather than a one-quarter bump.
Neutral Sentiment: The latest estimates remain close to the current consensus for full-year earnings, so the move appears to be more of a confidence boost than a major surprise. W.W. Grainger stock page

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total value of $1,658,048.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,745,625.48. This represents a 12.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total value of $1,795,446.53. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 2,232 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,750,471.28. This trade represents a 39.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,451 shares of company stock valued at $7,380,743. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Oppenheimer upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,199.13.

View Our Latest Report on GWW

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

(Free Report)

W.W. Grainger, Inc (NYSE: GWW) is an industrial supply distributor founded in 1927 and headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois. The company supplies maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products and services to businesses, institutions and government customers. Over its long history Grainger has developed a broad product assortment and a national distribution network that supports operations across a range of end markets, including manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, transportation and public sector organizations.

Grainger’s product portfolio spans core categories such as electrical and lighting, safety and personal protective equipment, material handling, motors and power transmission, plumbing and HVAC, fasteners and adhesives, hand and power tools, and janitorial and facility supplies.