Zacks Research Expects Reduced Earnings for W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) – Research analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of W.W. Grainger in a report issued on Tuesday, February 17th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $10.09 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $10.40. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger’s current full-year earnings is $40.30 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.W. Grainger’s Q2 2026 earnings at $10.60 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $10.39 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $42.83 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $11.54 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $12.10 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $12.57 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $11.90 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $48.12 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $52.44 EPS.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $4.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.39 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.51% and a return on equity of 47.46%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.71 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on GWW. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 target price on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,060.13.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,127.05 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $53.59 billion, a PE ratio of 31.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. W.W. Grainger has a 52-week low of $893.99 and a 52-week high of $1,218.63. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,070.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,004.54.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total value of $199,666.35. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 3,174 shares in the company, valued at $3,249,953.82. The trade was a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,163 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 103,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $101,035,434.45. The trade was a 10.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 26,881 shares of company stock worth $26,157,155 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Quaker Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 196.0% in the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 24 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 136.4% during the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 26 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about W.W. Grainger

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple medium- and long-term EPS forecasts for GWW (Q2–Q4 2026, FY2026, Q1–Q4 2027, FY2027 and FY2028), signaling expectations for stronger earnings later this year and through 2027–28. Upgrades to FY2026–FY2028 EPS (including FY2027 to $48.12 and FY2028 to $52.44) support a re-rating thesis if results track higher. Zacks coverage summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate governance update — Grainger announced a slate of 12 incumbent directors to be voted on at the April 29, 2026 annual meeting. This is routine but reduces near-term governance uncertainty. Board slate PR
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector/peer note — A MarketBeat piece on Genuine Parts Company’s (GPC) planned spin-off highlights how pure-play industrial distributors (like Grainger) typically trade at premium multiples vs. conglomerates. The article uses GWW as a valuation benchmark, which could increase investor focus on Grainger’s multiple and growth profile even though the story centers on GPC. GPC spin-off article
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed its Q1 2026 EPS estimate for Grainger (to $10.09 from $10.40), a near-term downgrade that may pressure sentiment ahead of upcoming quarterly cadence. Short-term estimate cuts can amplify cautious positioning despite longer-term upgrades. Zacks coverage summary

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.