Zacks Research Predicts Increased Earnings for W.W. Grainger

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its Q1 2027 EPS estimate for W.W. Grainger to $12.40 from $12.37, while forecasting $50.46 EPS for FY2027 and $54.48 for FY2028.
• Grainger’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $12.01 versus the $11.30 consensus and revenue of $5.02 billion, up 10.3% year over year. The company maintained FY2026 EPS guidance of $45.50–$47.25.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with two Buy, seven Hold, and one Sell rating, producing an overall Hold consensus and an average price target of $1,285. Shares opened at $1,248.50, down 0.6%.

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) - Zacks Research increased their Q1 2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for W.W. Grainger in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, September 29th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the industrial products company will earn $12.40 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $12.37. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger's current full-year earnings is $46.24 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.W. Grainger's FY2027 earnings at $50.46 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $12.84 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $13.89 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $54.48 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on GWW. Wall Street Zen cut W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Barclays decreased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,185.00 to $1,172.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 25th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,260.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,285.00.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,248.50 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.81, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. W.W. Grainger has a 12 month low of $906.52 and a 12 month high of $1,419.91. The stock has a market cap of $58.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,307.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,257.78.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $12.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $5.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.97 EPS. The business's quarterly 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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 13.8% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,851 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,879,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 56.5% during the 2nd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 36 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,559 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,482,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at $431,000. Finally, Cidel Asset Management Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 7.3% in the second quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 340 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $463,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a $2.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 25.40%.

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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