W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Stake Boosted by E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB

E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 8.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 34,781 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,842 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger makes up about 1.0% of E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $37,939,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mattern Capital Management LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $12,345,000 after acquiring an additional 563 shares during the period. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,048,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 212.3% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 54,215 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,795,000 after purchasing an additional 36,855 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 160.6% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 68,139 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $68,756,000 after purchasing an additional 41,990 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 15.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 22,330 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $21,280,000 after purchasing an additional 2,908 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,047.00 to $1,171.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Stephens upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of 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, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,217.00.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total transaction of $1,658,048.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,745,625.48. This trade represents a 12.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total value of $1,051,325.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,554 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,913,067.24. The trade was a 35.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,451 shares of company stock valued at $7,380,743. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,364.88 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.04. 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 one year low of $906.52 and a one year high of $1,365.42. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $1,234.04 and its 200-day moving average is $1,128.54.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The company’s revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.86 earnings per share. 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 45.39 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a dividend of $2.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.79%.

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.