Q1 EPS Estimates for W.W. Grainger Lowered by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research lowered its Q1 2028 EPS estimate for W.W. Grainger to $12.43 from $12.52, while the consensus full-year EPS estimate stands at $40.30.
• Grainger last reported quarterly EPS of $9.45 (missing estimates by $0.01) with revenue of $4.43 billion (beating expectations), and set FY 2026 guidance of $42.25–$44.75 EPS.
• Analyst coverage is mixed: the consensus rating is Hold with a consensus target price of about $1,096.71, while individual price targets range up to $1,300 and ratings include 2 Buys, 5 Holds and 1 Sell.

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2028 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note issued to investors on Friday, April 10th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the industrial products company will post earnings of $12.43 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $12.52. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger's current full-year earnings is $40.30 per share.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.45 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.46 by ($0.01). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.46% and a net margin of 9.51%.The company had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.39 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.71 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,190.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Barclays raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,044.00 to $1,047.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,096.71.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.0%

NYSE GWW opened at $1,172.41 on Monday. W.W. Grainger has a 52 week low of $906.52 and a 52 week high of $1,218.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $1,118.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,033.69. The firm has a market cap of $55.49 billion, a PE ratio of 33.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.09.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GWW. Stance Capital LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 197.6% during the fourth quarter. Stance Capital LLC now owns 3,982 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $4,018,000 after purchasing an additional 2,644 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 79.2% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 3,764 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,799,000 after purchasing an additional 1,664 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 1,392 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,404,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $605,000. Finally, Bayban purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $92,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total transaction of $1,658,048.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,541 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,745,625.48. This trade represents a 12.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were given a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.54%.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

W.W. Grainger, Inc NYSE: GWW is an industrial supply distributor founded in 1927 and headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois. The company supplies maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products and services to businesses, institutions and government customers. Over its long history Grainger has developed a broad product assortment and a national distribution network that supports operations across a range of end markets, including manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, transportation and public sector organizations.

Grainger's product portfolio spans core categories such as electrical and lighting, safety and personal protective equipment, material handling, motors and power transmission, plumbing and HVAC, fasteners and adhesives, hand and power tools, and janitorial and facility supplies.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.