Zacks Research Lowers Earnings Estimates for W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) – Analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q4 2025 earnings estimates for W.W. Grainger in a report issued on Thursday, May 15th. Zacks Research analyst S. Deb now expects that the industrial products company will post earnings of $9.91 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $9.95. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger’s current full-year earnings is $40.30 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.W. Grainger’s Q4 2026 earnings at $10.76 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $44.15 EPS.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $9.62 earnings per share.

GWW has been the subject of a number of other reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,120.00.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.7%

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,102.43 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $1,000.69 and a 200-day moving average of $1,064.90. The company has a market cap of $52.96 billion, a PE ratio of 28.48, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. W.W. Grainger has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 133.6% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 31,159 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,780,000 after acquiring an additional 17,819 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 18.0% during the 1st 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 period. MBB Public Markets I LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $306,000. Ascent Group LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 27.9% during the 1st quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 449 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $444,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Finally, United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $960,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total transaction of $793,616.46. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.21%.

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.