Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Sells 188 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH decreased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,294 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 188 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.07% of W.W. Grainger worth $32,553,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.1% during 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 during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,260,610 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,306,289,000 after buying an additional 23,418 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 10.1% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 822,411 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $812,403,000 after buying an additional 75,644 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 416,086 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $410,975,000 after buying an additional 6,797 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 306,829 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $303,095,000 after buying an additional 13,330 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE GWW opened at $924.17 on Tuesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $893.99 and a 12 month high of $1,227.44. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $964.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,011.32. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company has a market capitalization of $43.94 billion, a PE ratio of 23.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.17.

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

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be issued a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 10th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on GWW shares. 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 note on Monday, November 3rd. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $1,018.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,758,355.06. The trade was a 22.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 6.10% of the stock is currently 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.