NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC Makes New $666,000 Investment in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 656 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $666,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Parnassus Investments LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth $721,202,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at $536,916,000. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth about $239,597,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 46.6% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 443,386 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $422,529,000 after buying an additional 140,869 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,731,880 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,462,252,000 after buying an additional 104,607 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.9%

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,064.31 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.83 and a quick ratio of 1.59. The company’s 50-day moving average is $1,106.14 and its 200-day moving average is $1,023.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.37 billion, a PE ratio of 30.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $893.99 and a fifty-two week high of $1,218.63.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.46 by ($0.01). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.51% and a return on equity of 47.46%. The firm had revenue of $4.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.71 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were given a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on GWW. Barclays lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,044.00 to $1,047.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,080.38.

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.