W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) VP Laurie Thomson Sells 313 Shares

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) VP Laurie Thomson sold 313 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total value of $385,518.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $491,444.31. This represents a 43.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $1,282.80 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.50, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.04. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $1,133.04 and a 200 day moving average of $1,068.13. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $906.52 and a twelve month high of $1,286.56.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. The company had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be paid a $2.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 26.79%.

W.W. Grainger News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting W.W. Grainger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp raised several earnings estimates for W.W. Grainger, including Q2 2026, Q3 2026, Q4 2026, Q2 2027, Q3 2027, and FY2027, reflecting improved expectations for future profitability.
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s recent quarterly results beat Wall Street forecasts, and management increased full-year sales guidance, reinforcing the view that business demand remains solid.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also digesting post-earnings commentary, with analysts focusing on the company’s margin trends, demand outlook, and guidance sustainability. WW Grainger’s Q1 earnings call: Our top 5 analyst questions
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider sales by several executives, including VP Paige K. Robbins, SVP Jonny M. Leroy, and VP Laurie R. Thomson, may create some caution for investors even though the transactions were disclosed and could reflect routine portfolio activity.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1,462.1% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,071,854 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,081,554,000 after buying an additional 1,003,237 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $518,958,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 34,269.9% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 435,466 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $439,407,000 after acquiring an additional 434,199 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 61.1% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,027,286 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,036,584,000 after acquiring an additional 389,589 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sustainable Growth Advisers LP acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at about $239,597,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of 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. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,199.13.

About W.W. Grainger

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.