Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Trims Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund lessened its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 13.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 11,691 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,840 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $11,797,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased 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 buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. State of Wyoming boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 650.0% during the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,300.83 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $61.41 billion, a PE ratio of 34.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.04. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $906.52 and a 1 year high of $1,306.51. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1,188.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,101.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.60.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The company had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.86 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $2.49 dividend. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.79%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total value of $385,518.97. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $491,444.31. The trade was a 43.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total value of $1,795,446.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 2,232 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,750,471.28. The trade was a 39.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,451 shares of company stock worth $7,380,743. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on GWW shares. Barclays upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,047.00 to $1,171.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Stephens boosted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Three research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,212.88.

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.