W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Earns Buy (B-) Rating from Weiss Ratings

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW)‘s stock had its “buy (b-)” rating reiterated by equities research analysts at Weiss Ratings in a report issued on Thursday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Loop Capital cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Barclays started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $963.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,053.71.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $978.00 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger has a 12 month low of $893.99 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 1.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.82, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $979.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,015.87.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $0.26. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%.The firm had revenue of $4.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.87 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total transaction of $496,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,758,355.06. This trade represents a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth $25,000. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth $25,000. Quaker Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 196.0% during the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 24 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Accredited Investors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth $25,000. Finally, Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 316.7% during the second quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 25 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.