Q2 EPS Estimates for W.W. Grainger Increased by Analyst

Key Points

• Zacks Research slightly raised its Q2 2027 EPS estimate for W.W. Grainger to $12.45 from $12.43, and also set higher forward estimates for 2027 and 2028 earnings.
• Grainger’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, posting $11.65 EPS versus the $10.21 consensus, with revenue of $4.74 billion, up 10.1% year over year.
• The stock has drawn mixed analyst sentiment, with a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $1,212.88, while the company also recently raised its quarterly dividend to $2.49 per share.

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q2 2027 EPS estimates for W.W. Grainger in a research note issued on Friday, June 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the industrial products company will post earnings of $12.45 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $12.43. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger's current full-year earnings is $45.34 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.W. Grainger's Q3 2027 earnings at $12.86 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $12.23 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $49.45 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $12.51 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $53.06 EPS.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The business had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.86 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS.

GWW has been the topic of several other research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,212.88.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,314.60 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.60. W.W. Grainger has a 1-year low of $906.52 and a 1-year high of $1,349.74. The company has a market capitalization of $62.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.04. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $1,212.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,116.11.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $2.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 26.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total transaction of $385,518.97. Following the sale, the vice president owned 399 shares of the company's stock, valued at $491,444.31. This represents a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total transaction of $1,051,325.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,554 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,913,067.24. The trade was a 35.47% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 6,451 shares of company stock worth $7,380,743 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 1,462.1% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,071,854 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,081,554,000 after acquiring an additional 1,003,237 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $518,958,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 34,269.9% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 435,466 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $439,407,000 after acquiring an additional 434,199 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 61.1% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,027,286 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,036,584,000 after acquiring an additional 389,589 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sustainable Growth Advisers LP bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the third quarter valued at $239,597,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

About W.W. Grainger

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.

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