W.W. Grainger (GWW) to Release Earnings on Thursday

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) is scheduled to be announcing its earnings results before the market opens on Thursday, April 25th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $9.57 per share for the quarter. W.W. Grainger has set its FY24 guidance at $38.00-40.50 EPS and its FY 2024 guidance at 38.000-40.500 EPS.Individual that wish to listen to the company's earnings conference call can do so using this link.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $7.14 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect W.W. Grainger to post $39 EPS for the current fiscal year and $43 EPS for the next fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW traded down $12.68 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $937.24. The company's stock had a trading volume of 188,100 shares, compared to its average volume of 230,362. W.W. Grainger has a 1-year low of $641.95 and a 1-year high of $1,034.18. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $979.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $863.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.88. The firm has a market cap of $46.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.14.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 12th were given a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 9th. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.79%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.55%.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Clear Street Markets LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Clarity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Retirement Group LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2,450.0% in the fourth quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $913.89.

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.