Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Reduces Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA cut its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 13.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 41,991 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 6,383 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned about 0.09% of W.W. Grainger worth $45,800,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 211.1% during the 3rd 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. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 314.3% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $1,362.19 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.64, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.04. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,260.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,148.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.69. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $906.52 and a fifty-two week high of $1,390.96.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.The company’s revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.39 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a $2.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 26.79%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total transaction of $1,658,048.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 10,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,745,625.48. This trade represents a 12.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total transaction of $1,795,446.53. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,232 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,750,471.28. This trade represents a 39.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 4,112 shares of company stock worth $4,890,339 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the topic of several research reports. DA Davidson initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 target price on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. 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 raised 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 research note on Friday, May 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,216.44.

W.W. Grainger 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.