W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Upgraded to "Buy" by StockNews.com

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on GWW. UBS Group boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Stephens upgraded W.W. Grainger from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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 report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock 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 $3.03 on Wednesday, reaching $948.92. The company had a trading volume of 234,548 shares, compared to its average volume of 238,648. The business's 50-day moving average is $976.52 and its 200 day moving average is $887.09. W.W. Grainger has a one year low of $641.95 and a one year high of $1,034.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.56 billion, a PE ratio of 26.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The firm's revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.61 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 39.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the vice president now directly 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 available through this link. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 9,183 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $6,353,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 10.7% in the 3rd quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 2,374 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,642,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 9,428 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $6,523,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC now owns 3,470 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,400,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth approximately $1,027,000. Institutional investors 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.

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