United Asset Strategies Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

United Asset Strategies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1,435.3% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 13,910 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 13,004 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger makes up approximately 1.2% of United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest holding. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $15,173,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. lifted 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 acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW stock traded down $22.19 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $1,347.97. 74,259 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 286,322. The company has a market cap of $63.64 billion, a PE ratio of 36.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.03. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $1,275.79 and a 200 day moving average of $1,157.67. 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 52-week low of $906.52 and a 52-week high of $1,390.96.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. The company had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.47 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $2.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. 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. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 26.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the vice president owned 399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $491,444.31. The trade was a 43.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total transaction of $1,051,325.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,554 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,913,067.24. This represents a 35.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 2,624 shares of company stock valued at $3,232,291. 6.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the subject of a number of research reports. DA Davidson assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 target price for the company. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective 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. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,216.44.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.