Royal Bank Of Canada Issues Positive Forecast for W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Stock Price

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) had its price objective lifted by Royal Bank Of Canada from $1,337.00 to $1,460.00 in a research report report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a sector perform rating on the industrial products company’s stock.

GWW has been the subject of several other research reports. Barclays cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,171.00 to $1,166.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. DA Davidson began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,230.11.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW opened at $1,399.30 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger has a twelve month low of $906.52 and a twelve month high of $1,405.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.06 billion, a PE ratio of 37.64, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $1,309.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,177.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The company had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.86 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 45.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $2.49 per share. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.79%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total value of $1,051,325.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,554 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,913,067.24. This represents a 35.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total value of $385,518.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $491,444.31. The trade was a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,624 shares of company stock valued at $3,232,291. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 483 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $487,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 788 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $795,000 after buying an additional 9 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,805,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. Sawyer & Company Inc increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Sawyer & Company Inc now owns 676 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $682,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dearborn Partners LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC now owns 305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting W.W. Grainger

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

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target on W.W. Grainger to $1,460 from $1,337, implying roughly 4.3% upside from the current price while keeping a sector perform rating. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research slightly increased its earnings estimates for Q2 2026 and Q2 2028, suggesting expectations remain solid for Grainger’s earnings power. MarketBeat
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage flow remains mixed: one report noted Grainger reached a new 52-week high, while another said Stephens lowered the stock to equal weight, indicating opinions are still somewhat divided. American Banking News American Banking News

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.