Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Sells 3,481 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lowered its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 17.8% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 16,078 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,481 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $16,998,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Miller Capital Partners Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised 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. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the 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 owned 399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $491,444.31. This represents a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total transaction of $1,795,446.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,232 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,750,471.28. This trade represents a 39.50% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 2,624 shares of company stock valued at $3,232,291 over the last quarter. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,392.73 on Monday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $906.52 and a one year high of $1,419.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1,312.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,179.76. The stock has a market cap of $65.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.03.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.86 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. Analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.46 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $2.49 per share. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on GWW. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted 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 report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted 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 research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,230.11.

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.