Qtron Investments LLC Boosts Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Qtron Investments LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 89.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,163 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 550 shares during the quarter. Qtron Investments LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,210,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 52.6% in the second quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 313 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 215 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Burney Co. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Burney Co. now owns 1,757 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,828,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $974.28 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $953.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,000.47. The company has a market cap of $46.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.11. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $893.99 and a 12-month high of $1,192.65.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.64 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.40% and a net margin of 9.75%.W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $9.87 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 25.35%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report 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 report on Wednesday, October 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $1,009.43.

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.