W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Declares Quarterly Dividend of $2.05

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, April 24th, Zacks reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a dividend of 2.05 per share by the industrial products company on Saturday, June 1st. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $1.86.

W.W. Grainger has raised its dividend payment by an average of 7.1% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 53 years. W.W. Grainger has a dividend payout ratio of 17.1% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect W.W. Grainger to earn $43.23 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $7.44 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 17.2%.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded down $10.48 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $947.84. 418,472 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 234,314. W.W. Grainger has a twelve month low of $641.95 and a twelve month high of $1,034.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $980.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $872.58. The company has a current ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $8.05 by $0.28. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.10% and a return on equity of 56.54%. The company had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.14 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 39.26 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. 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 research note on Tuesday, March 5th. 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 research report on Tuesday, February 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 16th. Stephens raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $913.89.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.