Principal Financial Group Inc. Purchases 1,198 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 53,319 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,198 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $53,802,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Accredited Investors Inc. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. lifted 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 acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. State of Wyoming lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 650.0% during the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 25.5% during the 3rd quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 64 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting W.W. Grainger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Grainger beat Wall Street expectations with Q1 EPS of $11.65 versus $10.21 expected, and revenue of $4.74 billion versus $4.58 billion expected, signaling stronger-than-anticipated demand. Grainger Reports Results for the First Quarter 2026
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its FY2026 guidance, now targeting EPS of $44.25 to $46.25 and revenue of $19.2 billion to $19.6 billion, above consensus estimates, which reinforces confidence in continued growth. Grainger Reports Results for the First Quarter 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted strong services demand, margin expansion, and robust performance across both business segments, while also announcing a 10% quarterly dividend increase and continued share repurchases. Grainger Reports Results for the First Quarter 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target on GWW to $1,337 from $1,170, but kept a “sector perform” rating, suggesting valuation upside is recognized but the firm remains cautious on near-term relative performance. Benzinga report on RBC price target increase

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on GWW. Morgan Stanley upped 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. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,159.14.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 10,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,745,625.48. This represents a 12.37% decrease in their position. The transaction 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. 6.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $1,233.40 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $906.52 and a 52 week high of $1,286.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.17, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $1,121.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,058.34.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.86 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 43.61 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be given a dividend of $2.49 per share. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 25.54%.

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.