Concentric Capital Strategies LP Invests $5.34 Million in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Concentric Capital Strategies LP purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 5,288 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,336,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of GWW. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 483 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $487,000 after buying an additional 9 shares during the period. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 788 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $795,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,805,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Sawyer & Company Inc raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Sawyer & Company Inc now owns 676 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $682,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Finally, Dearborn Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC now owns 305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $308,000 after buying an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,310.57 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,224.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,123.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $906.52 and a twelve month high of $1,349.74. The company has a market capitalization of $61.87 billion, a PE ratio of 35.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.04.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $9.86 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. Research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.34 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a dividend of $2.49 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 26.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 price target for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,217.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total value of $1,051,325.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,554 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,913,067.24. This trade represents a 35.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total transaction of $1,795,446.53. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,232 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,750,471.28. The trade was a 39.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 6,451 shares of company stock worth $7,380,743 in the last 90 days. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.