AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Sells 26,146 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lowered its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 70.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,206 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 26,146 shares during the quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $11,657,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fiduciary Alliance LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at $274,000. Pure Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at $287,000. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 128.8% in the second quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 2,128 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,214,000 after acquiring an additional 1,198 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 7.5% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 15,989 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $15,795,000 after acquiring an additional 1,120 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1,685.7% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $123,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $978.66 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $982.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,016.68. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $893.99 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.17. 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 (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.07 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $9.76 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th were paid a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.94%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $963.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,053.71.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total transaction of $496,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares in the company, valued at $1,758,355.06. This represents a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger 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.