Bellwether Advisors LLC Buys 911 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Bellwether Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 220.0% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,325 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 911 shares during the period. Bellwether Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,445,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Miller Capital Partners Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW opened at $1,359.40 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $1,317.51 and its 200 day moving average is $1,184.68. 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 company has a market cap of $64.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.56, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.03. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $906.52 and a 12-month high of $1,419.91.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $9.86 earnings per share. The firm’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. On average, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.46 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $2.49 dividend. This is a positive change 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 currently 26.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total value of $1,795,446.53. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,232 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,750,471.28. This trade represents a 39.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 399 shares in the company, valued at approximately $491,444.31. The trade was a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 2,624 shares of company stock valued at $3,232,291. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,337.00 to $1,460.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. 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. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted 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 report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.