W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Announces Quarterly Dividend of $2.05

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, April 24th, Zacks reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a dividend of 2.05 per share by the industrial products company on Saturday, June 1st. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86.

W.W. Grainger has raised its dividend payment by an average of 7.1% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 53 years. W.W. Grainger has a dividend payout ratio of 17.1% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect W.W. Grainger to earn $43.23 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $7.44 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 17.2%.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $958.32 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $47.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.14. W.W. Grainger has a 12 month low of $641.95 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $980.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $872.05.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.05 by $0.28. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 56.54% and a net margin of 11.10%. The business had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $7.14 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 39.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 16th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Loop Capital cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $925.00 to $1,000.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $913.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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