W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 42.250-44.750 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 43.820. The company issued revenue guidance of $18.7 billion-$19.1 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $18.8 billion.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,097.17 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. W.W. Grainger has a 12-month low of $893.99 and a 12-month high of $1,103.69. The company has a market cap of $52.17 billion, a PE ratio of 30.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1,019.94 and a 200 day moving average of $992.42.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.64 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.75% and a return on equity of 49.40%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.87 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th will be issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on GWW. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Oppenheimer upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $1,250.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Barclays boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,045.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 14,523 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $972.81, for a total value of $14,128,119.63. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 107,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $104,929,232.22. The trade was a 11.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total value of $199,666.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 3,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. This trade represents a 5.79% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 26,881 shares of company stock worth $26,157,155 in the last quarter. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth $239,597,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 96.7% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 149,920 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $141,896,000 after purchasing an additional 73,714 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 57.2% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 163,136 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $155,462,000 after purchasing an additional 59,373 shares in the last quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 45.9% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 135,600 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $129,221,000 after buying an additional 42,663 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,107.3% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 46,192 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $44,019,000 after buying an additional 42,366 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

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.