W.W. Grainger Director Neil Novich Receives Award, Gifts Shares

What Happened

• Neil S. Novich, a director of W.W. Grainger (GWW), was granted 64 deferred stock units (recorded as a derivative award) valued at $1,309.49 each, totaling $83,807, on 2026-09-01. The filing also shows a same-day gift transaction moving 64 shares (no cash consideration).
• The award consists of deferred stock units that are expected to settle into common shares on a one-for-one basis after the end of his service as a director. The gift appears to transfer beneficial ownership into a family trust for which Mr. Novich is co-trustee.

Key Details

• Transaction date: 2026-09-01; Filing date: 2026-09-01 (Form 4 accession 0001006057-26-000008).
• Award: 64 deferred stock units at $1,309.49 each = $83,807 (derivative).
• Gift: 64 shares transferred (reported as gift transactions with $0 consideration).
• Shares owned after the transaction: not specified in the filing.
• Footnotes: F1/F2 indicate a 1-for-1 settlement of deferred stock units into common shares after service ends; F3 notes shares held in a family trust for which he is co-trustee.
• No indication this was a sale or open-market purchase; gifts do not imply a trading view on the stock.

Context

• Deferred stock units are a form of compensation that convert to actual shares later (not an immediate buy), so this is a compensation/transfer event rather than a market purchase.
• Gifts and transfers into trusts are common for estate or family planning and generally should not be read as a bearish or bullish signal about the company.