Oppenheimer Boosts W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Price Target to $1,300.00

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) had its target price upped by equities researchers at Oppenheimer from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Oppenheimer’s target price indicates a potential upside of 10.09% from the company’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada upped 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. Barclays increased 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. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,045.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed 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 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,052.00.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of GWW stock traded up $25.84 on Wednesday, hitting $1,180.84. The stock had a trading volume of 79,240 shares, compared to its average volume of 267,788. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $1,024.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $993.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 1.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.10. W.W. Grainger has a 1 year low of $893.99 and a 1 year high of $1,181.44.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.46 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $4.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.39 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.75% and a return on equity of 49.40%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.71 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. Analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 14,523 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $972.81, for a total transaction of $14,128,119.63. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 107,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $104,929,232.22. This trade represents a 11.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total transaction of $199,666.35. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,249,953.82. The trade was a 5.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 26,881 shares of company stock worth $26,157,155. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 46.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $338,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 18.0% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,851 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,816,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares during the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 45.4% in the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 442 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $460,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting W.W. Grainger

Here are the key news stories impacting W.W. Grainger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Top-line beat and product assortment momentum — Q4 sales of about $4.4B rose ~4.5% y/y (4.6% on a daily, organic constant-currency basis); management cited strong Endless Assortment growth that helped offset margin headwinds. Grainger Earnings Beat in Q4
• Positive Sentiment: Cash flow and capital return — full-year operating cash flow was ~$2.0B and Grainger returned about $1.5B to shareholders via dividends and buybacks, supporting shareholder value and EPS support. Management also set FY26 organic daily sales growth guidance of 6.5%–9.0%, signaling confidence in demand. Grainger Reports Results (PR Newswire)
• Neutral Sentiment: EPS roughly in line / mixed prints — Q4 EPS was $9.44 (close to consensus; some outlets show a $0.02 miss vs. one consensus, others show a slight beat vs. alternate estimates). Revenue slightly exceeded analyst models (~$4.42–4.43B vs. ~4.39B street). Investors should note the small dispersion in reported vs. consensus numbers. Q4 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary available — the full earnings call/transcript provides color on pricing, mix, and execution that investors may want to review for guidance on margin recovery and channel trends. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure and EPS trajectory — Q4 operating margin fell to ~14.3% (down ~70 bps) and full-year operating margin also declined year-over-year; reported FY2025 EPS was down versus prior year on a reported basis. These margin trends and near-term pressure on profitability are risks to multiple-quarter EPS growth. Grainger Reports Results (PR Newswire)
• Negative Sentiment: FY2026 EPS guidance range is 42.25–44.75 — that range sits close to or a bit below consensus (~43.82), which could limit upside if investors were expecting a clearer beat; revenue guidance ($18.7B–$19.1B) is in range but does not eliminate concern about margin recovery timing. Guidance and Outlook (PR Newswire)

About W.W. Grainger

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.