Sterling Capital Management LLC Purchases 1,514 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 188.1% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,319 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,514 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,530,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. increased 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 boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 788 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $795,000 after buying an additional 9 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,805,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. Sawyer & Company Inc grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Sawyer & Company Inc now owns 676 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $682,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dearborn Partners LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC now owns 305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $308,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total value of $385,518.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 399 shares in the company, valued at $491,444.31. This represents a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,112 shares of company stock valued at $4,890,339. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.0%

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,353.16 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $63.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.39, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.04. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $906.52 and a 52-week high of $1,390.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.69. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $1,252.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,143.22.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.86 EPS. The company’s quarterly 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. Equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.39 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $2.49 per share. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 26.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Weiss Ratings raised W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,171.00 to $1,166.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,216.44.

W.W. Grainger Profile

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.