W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Lowered to “Hold” at StockNews.com

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

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target 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 cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a buy rating to a hold rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $925.00 to $1,000.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target 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. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $913.89.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $928.65 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $979.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $873.99. W.W. Grainger has a twelve month low of $641.95 and a twelve month high of $1,034.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market cap of $45.62 billion, a PE ratio of 25.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.14.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $9.61 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 39.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 20.54%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 approximately $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 336 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $342,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC now owns 432 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $439,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 9.5% during the 1st quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,180 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,235,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 10,252 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,429,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantum Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $239,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

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.