LS Investment Advisors LLC Has $11.17 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

LS Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 10.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 11,072 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,312 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger comprises 1.6% of LS Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. LS Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $11,172,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Accredited Investors Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 211.1% during the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 650.0% during the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 25.5% during the third quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 64 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,044.00 to $1,047.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,096.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 2,339 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,064.73, for a total value of $2,490,403.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,897,511.55. The trade was a 18.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW stock opened at $1,143.95 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.83 and a quick ratio of 1.59. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $1,118.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,037.28. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $906.52 and a fifty-two week high of $1,218.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.14 billion, a PE ratio of 32.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.09.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.46 by ($0.01). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.46% and a net margin of 9.51%.The company had revenue of $4.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.71 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were given a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 25.54%.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.