W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) VP Sells $199,666.35 in Stock

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) VP Krantz Nancy Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total value of $199,666.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. The trade was a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded down $1.71 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $1,020.37. 255,050 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 290,285. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $960.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $995.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 1.59. The firm has a market cap of $48.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.61, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.11. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $893.99 and a 52 week high of $1,139.15.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $4.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.64 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.40% and a net margin of 9.75%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.87 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. Research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th were given a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price target on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $1,009.43.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,731,880 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,462,252,000 after buying an additional 104,607 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,996,053 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,902,159,000 after buying an additional 13,779 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.9% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,260,610 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,306,289,000 after acquiring an additional 23,418 shares during the last quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth $721,202,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 659,158 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $628,151,000 after acquiring an additional 3,114 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About W.W. Grainger

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.