W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Given Consensus Rating of “Reduce” by Analysts

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) has been given an average rating of “Reduce” by the nine research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $1,016.5714.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,045.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of 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 boosted their price objective on shares of 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.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $1,051.45 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,005.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $991.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.12. 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 $1,139.15.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.95 by $0.26. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.40% and a net margin of 9.75%.The firm had revenue of $4.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.87 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. Analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was 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 directly owned 3,174 shares in the company, valued at $3,249,953.82. This trade represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $104,929,232.22. This trade represents a 11.87% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 26,881 shares of company stock worth $26,157,155 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth $25,000. Quaker Wealth Management LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 196.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 24 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 316.7% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 25 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 136.4% in the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 26 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.