OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp Boosts Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 124.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,181 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,316 shares during the quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,561,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth approximately $3,437,000. Waverly Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.0% in the first quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 1,147 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,251,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at $1,083,000. Compound Planning Inc. raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 9.3% during the 1st quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 730 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $797,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, Liberty One Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at $5,420,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,397.48 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $65.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.59, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.03. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $906.52 and a 52 week high of $1,419.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,326.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,194.83.

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. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.86 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue 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. Analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stephens downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $1,355.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings raised W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. DA Davidson began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted 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 report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,230.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total transaction of $1,051,325.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,554 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,913,067.24. This represents a 35.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total value of $385,518.97. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $491,444.31. This represents a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 2,624 shares of company stock worth $3,232,291 in the last quarter. 6.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.