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

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the twelve analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $1,069.1250.

A number of analysts have commented on GWW shares. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,035.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 11th.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total value of $496,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,771 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,758,355.06. This represents a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 6.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Quaker Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 196.0% during the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 24 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 316.7% during the second quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 25 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,005.48 on Friday. W.W. Grainger has a twelve month low of $893.99 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company has a market capitalization of $48.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.51, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $1,005.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,018.62.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.07 by ($0.10). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The firm had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.76 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th were given a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 11th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 22.94%.

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.