W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Stock Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $1,268.40 and traded as high as $1,295.05. W.W. Grainger shares last traded at $1,290.1460, with a volume of 182,631 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,460.00 to $1,428.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Barclays dropped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,185.00 to $1,172.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Wall Street Zen upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Wolfe Research began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,350.00 to $1,375.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,285.00.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.7%

The company has a market cap of $60.77 billion, a PE ratio of 32.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 2.81, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $1,290.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,268.40.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $12.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $11.30 by $0.71. The company had revenue of $5.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 48.73%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.97 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 45.500-47.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 46.25 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were given a dividend of $2.49 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.40%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 44.5% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. now owns 1,120 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,395,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Polaris Financial Partners bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth approximately $125,000. CX Institutional increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.6% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,187 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,479,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Montecito Bank & Trust increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Montecito Bank & Trust now owns 1,553 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,935,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 13.8% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,851 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,879,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

W.W. Grainger, Inc is a distributor of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products and related services. The company serves businesses, government organizations and other institutions that need supplies to maintain facilities, equipment and operations.

Its product offerings include tools, safety equipment, cleaning and maintenance supplies, material-handling products, electrical and plumbing components, lighting, heating and cooling equipment, and other industrial and facility-management products.