W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $1,123.13.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on GWW shares. Wolfe Research downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,085.85 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,035.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,054.74. The firm has a market cap of $52.16 billion, a PE ratio of 28.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.21. W.W. Grainger has a twelve month low of $888.75 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $9.62 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 23.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,205 shares of company stock worth $2,255,320. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GWW. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 46.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $338,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $445,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,416 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,547,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 4,726 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,981,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares during the period. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

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.