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

Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) have received a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the nine research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $1,009.4286.

Several research firms have weighed in on GWW. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Barclays boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total value of $199,666.35. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. The trade was a 5.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 14,523 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $972.81, for a total transaction of $14,128,119.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 107,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $104,929,232.22. The trade was a 11.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 26,881 shares of company stock valued at $26,157,155 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in 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 last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 9.9% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,368 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,315,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 20.8% in the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,477 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,459,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth $119,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 64.3% during the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 67,185 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $66,367,000 after purchasing an additional 26,289 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE GWW opened at $1,023.98 on Friday. W.W. Grainger has a 12 month low of $893.99 and a 12 month high of $1,139.15. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $971.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $992.88. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The company has a market capitalization of $48.69 billion, a PE ratio of 28.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.11.

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

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th were issued 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.35%.

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.