W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Sold by Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lessened its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 15.2% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 926 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 166 shares during the quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $963,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 20,218 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $21,032,000 after acquiring an additional 950 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth $739,000. Cadinha & Co. LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 26.8% in the 2nd quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC now owns 2,531 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,633,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 215 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $224,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 41.1% in the 2nd quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 515 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $535,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the company’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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,758,355.06. This represents a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 6.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of GWW opened at $965.38 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $893.99 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $982.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,015.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.07 by ($0.10). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The firm had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.76 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. Sell-side 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th were given a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 11th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $963.00 target price for the company. Loop Capital dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,053.71.

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.