W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Upgraded to "Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded W.W. Grainger to “Buy” from “Hold,” although the broader analyst consensus remains “Hold,” with a $1,285 average price target.
• Grainger reported quarterly EPS of $12.01, exceeding estimates of $11.30, while revenue rose 10.3% year over year to $5.02 billion.
• Institutional ownership is substantial at 80.70%, with several major firms—including BlackRock and Bank of America—recently establishing positions.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on GWW. Stephens downgraded shares of 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 report on Tuesday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,400.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Wolfe Research began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,460.00 to $1,428.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,285.00.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW stock opened at $1,290.15 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $60.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.01. W.W. Grainger has a 1 year low of $906.52 and a 1 year high of $1,419.91. 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's fifty day moving average price is $1,290.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,268.40.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $11.30 by $0.71. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 48.73% and a net margin of 9.92%. The company had revenue of $5.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous 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. On average, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 46.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at approximately $6,303,024,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at $621,127,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $407,051,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth approximately $324,824,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth $245,230,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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 organizations and other institutions that need supplies to maintain facilities, equipment and operations.

Its product offerings include tools, safety equipment, cleaning and maintenance supplies, material-handling products, electrical and plumbing components, lighting, heating and cooling equipment, and other industrial and facility-management products.

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