W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Receives $913.89 Average Price Target from Analysts

Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Hold" from the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $913.89.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $825.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, December 20th. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 16th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 3,160 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,187,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 23.4% in the third quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 633 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $438,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.3% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 71,748 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $49,638,000 after purchasing an additional 7,273 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 82,038 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $67,984,000 after purchasing an additional 8,865 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 82,775.0% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 43,095 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,712,000 after purchasing an additional 43,043 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded down $0.32 during trading on Friday, reaching $965.95. The stock had a trading volume of 249,488 shares, compared to its average volume of 232,252. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.46 billion, a PE ratio of 26.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 2.88 and a quick ratio of 1.64. W.W. Grainger has a 52 week low of $625.97 and a 52 week high of $1,034.18. The business's 50-day moving average price is $979.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $856.83.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $8.05 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.04 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 56.54% and a net margin of 11.10%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $7.14 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 39.26 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 12th were given a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.55%.

About W.W. Grainger

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.