Advisors Preferred LLC Makes New Investment in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm acquired 2,995 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,151,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Quaker Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 196.0% in the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 24 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 316.7% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 25 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nova Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total transaction of $496,430.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,758,355.06. This trade represents a 22.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $963.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,059.86.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW opened at $965.33 on Tuesday. 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 cap of $46.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.49, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.17. The company’s 50 day moving average is $978.37 and its 200 day moving average is $1,015.94. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $893.99 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.95 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.64 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.87 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict 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 paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 10th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.35%.

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.