Claret Asset Management Corp Invests $239,000 in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Claret Asset Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 230 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $239,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 3.2% during the first quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 323 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $319,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 1,139 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,125,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 52.6% in the 2nd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 50.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 30 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 3.3% in the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 313 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $326,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares in the company, valued at $1,758,355.06. The trade was a 22.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on GWW. Barclays lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $1,009.43.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE:GWW opened at $944.87 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $44.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.82. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $952.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,002.78. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $893.99 and a 52-week high of $1,208.05.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.95 by $0.26. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%.The company had revenue of $4.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.87 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were paid a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.35%.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

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.