William Blair Reduces Earnings Estimates for W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) – Stock analysts at William Blair reduced their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note issued on Monday, September 22nd. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now forecasts that the industrial products company will post earnings of $11.99 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $12.02. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger’s current full-year earnings is $40.30 per share.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $4.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.76 EPS. The firm’s 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.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on GWW. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on 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. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,069.13.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE GWW opened at $952.57 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $998.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,017.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.82. W.W. Grainger has a twelve month low of $893.99 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $45.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.17, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total value of $496,430.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,758,355.06. This represents a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Quaker Wealth Management LLC increased its position 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 worth $25,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 316.7% in the second quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 25 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.