Jensen Investment Management Inc. Takes Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW
by Doug Wharley · The Cerbat GemJensen Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW – Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,300 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,192,000.
Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Parnassus Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at $721,202,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $536,916,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,627,273 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,853,714,000 after acquiring an additional 238,895 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 46.6% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 443,386 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $422,529,000 after acquiring an additional 140,869 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth about $63,913,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
GWW has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Barclays lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,060.13.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on W.W. Grainger
Insider Activity
In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total transaction of $199,666.35. Following the sale, the vice president owned 3,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,249,953.82. This trade represents a 5.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 14,523 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $972.81, for a total transaction of $14,128,119.63. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 107,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $104,929,232.22. This represents a 11.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 26,881 shares of company stock worth $26,157,155 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.
W.W. Grainger Stock Performance
GWW stock opened at $1,187.21 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,048.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $998.59. The company has a current ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $893.99 and a 12-month high of $1,204.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.45 billion, a PE ratio of 33.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.10.
W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.46 by ($0.02). 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 the consensus estimate of $4.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.71 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be given a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 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.
Read More
- Five stocks we like better than W.W. Grainger
- Nvidia CEO Issues Bold Tesla Call
- Your Bank Account Is No Longer Safe
- Buy this Gold Stock Before May 2026
- What a Former CIA Agent Knows About the Coming Collapse
- The day the gold market broke
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GWW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW – Free Report).