Barclays Issues Pessimistic Forecast for W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Stock Price

Key Points

• Barclays lowered its price target for W.W. Grainger from $1,185 to $1,172 and maintained an “underweight” rating, implying 8.31% downside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $1,285; other firms recently raised their targets and several upgraded the stock.
• Grainger reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $12.01 beating estimates and revenue rising 10.3% year over year to $5.02 billion. Institutional investors own approximately 80.7% of the company.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) had its price objective lowered by equities research analysts at Barclays from $1,185.00 to $1,172.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "underweight" rating on the industrial products company's stock. Barclays's target price would indicate a potential downside of 8.31% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,400.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Wall Street Zen raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, August 9th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,350.00 to $1,375.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,260.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,285.00.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,278.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 2.81 and a quick ratio of 1.70. The stock has a market cap of $60.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.59, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.03. The firm's 50-day moving average is $1,314.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,254.88. W.W. Grainger has a 1 year low of $906.52 and a 1 year high of $1,419.91.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $12.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $11.30 by $0.71. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 48.73%. The company had revenue of $5.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $9.97 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 45.500-47.250 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 46.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Continuum Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 420.0% during the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 26 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. EFG International AG acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

W.W. Grainger, Inc is a distributor of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products and related services. The company serves businesses, government agencies and other organizations that need supplies to maintain facilities, equipment and operations. Its product categories include tools, safety equipment, material handling products, cleaning and maintenance supplies, electrical and lighting products, plumbing supplies, HVAC equipment and fasteners.

Founded in 1927 by William W. Grainger, the company has grown from a regional electrical-equipment distributor into a global MRO provider.

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