Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Cuts Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lessened its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 16,437 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 424 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $17,098,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth $25,000. Quaker Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 196.0% during the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 24 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 316.7% during the second quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 25 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nova Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted 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 note on Monday, November 3rd. Loop Capital lowered their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $1,018.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger 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 of the company’s stock, 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 hyperlink. 6.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $925.90 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.03 billion, a PE ratio of 23.49, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.17. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $966.41 and its 200 day moving average is $1,012.29. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $893.99 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.82.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $0.26. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The company had revenue of $4.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.87 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th will be issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.35%.

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.