Vest Financial LLC Decreases Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Vest Financial LLC decreased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 52,112 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,936 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $49,661,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 98.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 591 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $563,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at about $69,000. Vista Investment Partners II LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.3% in the third quarter. Vista Investment Partners II LLC now owns 2,179 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,077,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at approximately $985,000. Finally, Allstate Corp purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,562,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,163 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $972.57, for a total value of $11,829,368.91. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 103,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $101,035,434.45. This represents a 10.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 sale, the vice president owned 3,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. This represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 26,881 shares of company stock valued at $26,157,155. 6.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on GWW. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,045.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $1,016.57.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $1,046.85 on Wednesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $893.99 and a one year high of $1,139.15. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $995.13 and a 200 day moving average of $990.75. The company has a market capitalization of $49.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.24, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 2.72.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $0.26. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.75% and a return on equity of 49.40%. The business had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.87 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. On average, sell-side 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 25.35%.

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.