W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,180,462 shares, a growth of 13.7% from the March 31st total of 1,038,541 shares. Approximately 2.7% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 227,177 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.2 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price 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. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,118.14.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.0%

NYSE GWW traded down $11.68 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $1,149.67. The stock had a trading volume of 212,332 shares, compared to its average volume of 227,844. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $1,118.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,052.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.83 and a quick ratio of 1.59. W.W. Grainger has a 1 year low of $906.52 and a 1 year high of $1,218.63. The stock has a market cap of $54.41 billion, a PE ratio of 32.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.09.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $4.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.39 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.71 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 43.61 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a dividend of $2.49 per share. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 28.14%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total value of $1,658,048.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,745,625.48. This represents a 12.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mattern Capital Management LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 12,234 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $12,345,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 15.1% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 7,523 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,169,000 after acquiring an additional 987 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth $4,205,000. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 20.4% during the third quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 5,947 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,667,000 after purchasing an additional 1,008 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 212.3% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 54,215 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,795,000 after buying an additional 36,855 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.