W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Loop Capital downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a buy rating to a hold rating and increased their target price for the stock from $925.00 to $1,000.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $913.89.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $928.65 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 1.64. W.W. Grainger has a 1 year low of $641.95 and a 1 year high of $1,034.18. The company has a market capitalization of $45.62 billion, a PE ratio of 25.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a fifty day moving average of $979.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $873.99.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.61 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 39.26 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total value of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bfsg LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 275.0% during the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

About W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services primarily in North America, Japan, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety, security, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance, and metalworking and hand tools.