Q3 EPS Estimates for W.W. Grainger Raised by Zacks Research

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, February 17th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the industrial products company will earn $11.76 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $11.52. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger’s current full-year earnings is $40.30 per share.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.46 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.39 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.46% and a net margin of 9.51%.W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.71 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also commented on GWW. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Barclays lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,060.13.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,125.29 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $53.51 billion, a PE ratio of 31.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. W.W. Grainger has a twelve month low of $893.99 and a twelve month high of $1,218.63. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,072.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,005.83.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 15.1% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 7,523 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,169,000 after buying an additional 987 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth about $4,205,000. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 20.4% during the 3rd quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 5,947 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,667,000 after purchasing an additional 1,008 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 109,723 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $104,562,000 after purchasing an additional 2,548 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 10.4% in the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 44,968 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,853,000 after purchasing an additional 4,228 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,163 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $972.57, for a total transaction of $11,829,368.91. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 103,885 shares in the company, valued at $101,035,434.45. The trade was a 10.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total transaction of $199,666.35. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,249,953.82. This represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 26,881 shares of company stock worth $26,157,155. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be paid a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.54%.

More W.W. Grainger News

Here are the key news stories impacting W.W. Grainger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised a string of medium‑ and long‑term EPS forecasts for Grainger (updating several quarters and FY2026–FY2028). Notable lifts include higher FY2026 and FY2027 outlooks and upward revisions for multiple 2027 quarters — a sign analysts see stronger earnings power over the next 12–24 months, which supports a higher valuation multiple for GWW.
• Neutral Sentiment: The MarketBeat feature on Genuine Parts Company’s planned Automotive/Industrial spin‑off highlights how pure‑play industrial distributors (including W.W. Grainger) trade at premium multiples vs. conglomerates. The piece suggests sector re‑rating potential if investors revalue industrial peers; useful for sentiment but not direct company news. The Hidden Value in Genuine Parts Company’s Spin-Off Plan
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also cut its near‑term estimate for Q1 2026 (to $10.09 from $10.40). That downward revision to the upcoming quarter increases short‑term uncertainty and can prompt profit‑taking or downside pressure even while longer‑term estimates rise.

About W.W. Grainger

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.