William Blair Brokers Lift Earnings Estimates for W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) - Analysts at William Blair increased their Q3 2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of W.W. Grainger in a report released on Thursday, April 25th. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now anticipates that the industrial products company will earn $10.58 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $10.19. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger's current full-year earnings is $39.30 per share.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. W.W. Grainger's revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.61 EPS.

GWW has been the subject of a number of other reports. Stephens raised W.W. Grainger from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $938.89.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW stock traded up $5.31 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $934.57. 304,635 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 236,671. The company's 50 day moving average price is $979.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $877.66. The company has a market cap of $45.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.80, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.14. W.W. Grainger has a 12 month low of $641.95 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.19.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.54%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GWW. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 203 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $168,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 121 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $124,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 436 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $361,000 after buying an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.7% in the first quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $471,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, Copperwynd Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Copperwynd Financial LLC now owns 347 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $288,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

W.W. Grainger, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services primarily in North America, Japan, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety, security, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance, and metalworking and hand tools.