Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. Increases Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 79.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,764 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,664 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,799,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 211.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total value of $1,658,048.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 10,541 shares in the company, valued at $11,745,625.48. This represents a 12.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total value of $1,795,446.53. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 2,232 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,750,471.28. This trade represents a 39.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,112 shares of company stock valued at $4,890,339. 6.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,353.16 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1,252.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,141.94. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $906.52 and a 12 month high of $1,390.96. The company has a market capitalization of $63.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.04.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.86 earnings per share. The company’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. As a group, equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.39 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $2.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 26.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,171.00 to $1,166.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,216.44.

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.