W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the nine brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $1,212.8750.

GWW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Stephens lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,234.01 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.04. W.W. Grainger has a 52-week low of $906.52 and a 52-week high of $1,286.56. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,166.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,090.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.69.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. Research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 45.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be given a dividend of $2.49 per share. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 26.79%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total transaction of $1,658,048.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 10,541 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,745,625.48. This trade represents a 12.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total value of $1,051,325.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,554 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,913,067.24. This trade represents a 35.47% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 6,451 shares of company stock worth $7,380,743. Insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Glenmede Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 5,420 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,912,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Summitry LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Summitry LLC now owns 257 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $280,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 17.1% during the 1st quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 623 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $680,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Groupe la Francaise raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 3,473 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,788,000 after buying an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 527,969 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $575,914,000 after buying an additional 22,731 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

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.