W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Stock Moved Down to "Hold" by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded W.W. Grainger from “Buy” to “Hold,” contributing to an overall analyst consensus of “Hold.” The consensus price target is $1,285, with two Buy, seven Hold, and one Sell rating.
• Grainger recently exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $12.01 in earnings per share versus the $11.30 consensus and $5.02 billion in revenue. Revenue increased 10.3% year over year, and fiscal 2026 guidance calls for $45.50–$47.25 in EPS.
• The stock opened at $1,241.30, below its 50-day moving average of $1,311.55 but near its 200-day average of $1,254.78. Institutional investors own approximately 80.7% of the company’s shares.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

GWW has been the subject of several other research reports. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of 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. Barclays reduced their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,185.00 to $1,172.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings raised W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Stephens downgraded W.W. Grainger from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $1,355.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,400.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,285.00.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,241.30 on Friday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $1,311.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,254.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.47 billion, a PE ratio of 31.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.03. W.W. Grainger has a fifty-two week low of $906.52 and a fifty-two week high of $1,419.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a current ratio of 2.81.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GWW. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,303,024,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $621,127,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $518,958,000. Amundi raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 24.1% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 363,308 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $494,244,000 after buying an additional 70,451 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.4% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 409,142 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $446,210,000 after buying an additional 9,743 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

About W.W. Grainger

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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