Castleark Management LLC Invests $8.99 Million in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Castleark Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 6,610 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,992,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 420.0% during the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 26 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitlin John LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW opened at $1,301.27 on Wednesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $906.52 and a fifty-two week high of $1,419.91. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $1,344.46 and a 200 day moving average of $1,232.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a current ratio of 2.81. The firm has a market cap of $61.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.18, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.04.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $12.01 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $11.30 by $0.71. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 48.73%. The business had revenue of $5.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.97 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 45.500-47.250 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 46.1 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a $2.49 dividend. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.40%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Stephens downgraded W.W. Grainger from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $1,355.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,400.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 9th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,166.00 to $1,185.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,286.62.

W.W. Grainger 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.