United Asset Strategies Inc. Invests $851,000 in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

United Asset Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 893 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $851,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Quaker Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 196.0% during 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 during the period. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 136.4% during the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 26 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,163 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $972.57, for a total value of $11,829,368.91. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 103,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $101,035,434.45. The trade was a 10.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total value of $199,666.35. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 3,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. This trade represents a 5.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 26,881 shares of company stock worth $26,157,155. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,033.69 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $49.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.12. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $980.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $990.81. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $893.99 and a fifty-two week high of $1,139.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $0.26. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.75% and a return on equity of 49.40%. The firm had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.87 EPS. W.W. Grainger’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. Equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of 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. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 target price for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $1,009.43.

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.