W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Receives $1,009.43 Average Target Price from Analysts

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the nine research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $1,009.4286.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $974.28 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $46.33 billion, a PE ratio of 27.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.11. W.W. Grainger has a twelve month low of $893.99 and a twelve month high of $1,192.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $953.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,000.47.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.64 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.40% and a net margin of 9.75%.W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.87 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.35%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were 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 represents a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 6.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fiduciary Alliance LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $274,000. Pure Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $287,000. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 128.8% in the 2nd quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 2,128 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,214,000 after acquiring an additional 1,198 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 15,989 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $15,795,000 after purchasing an additional 1,120 shares during the period. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 7.8% in the 2nd quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 19,712 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,455,000 after purchasing an additional 1,428 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% 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.