Aurdan Capital Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Aurdan Capital Management LLC lessened its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 9.7% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 8,069 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 866 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger comprises approximately 2.4% of Aurdan Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Aurdan Capital Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $7,689,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 7,523 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,169,000 after buying an additional 987 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 44,968 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,853,000 after purchasing an additional 4,228 shares during the last quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 470.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC now owns 14,447 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $13,768,000 after purchasing an additional 11,916 shares during the last quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 3.6% in the third quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd now owns 63,088 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $60,120,000 after buying an additional 2,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.7% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 60,164 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $57,334,000 after buying an additional 2,120 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 14,523 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $972.81, for a total transaction of $14,128,119.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 107,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $104,929,232.22. This represents a 11.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total value of $199,666.35. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 3,174 shares in the company, valued at $3,249,953.82. This represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 26,881 shares of company stock worth $26,157,155 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on GWW shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 target price on the stock. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,052.00.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,183.04 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $56.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.83 and a quick ratio of 1.59. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $1,033.95 and a 200-day moving average of $996.05. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $893.99 and a one year high of $1,204.36.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.46 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.39 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.46% and a net margin of 9.51%.The business’s revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.71 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th will be paid a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.54%.

About W.W. Grainger

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.