W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment on W.W. Grainger is mixed, with nine analysts averaging a "Hold" rating and a consensus 12-month price target of about $1,199.13.
• The company reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $11.65 versus expectations of $10.21 and revenue of $4.74 billion, up 10.1% year over year.
• W.W. Grainger also raised its quarterly dividend to $2.49 per share from $2.26, while insider selling and recent broker target increases were notable developments.

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the nine analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $1,199.1250.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GWW. Barclays boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,047.00 to $1,171.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price 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. Weiss Ratings raised W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total transaction of $1,795,446.53. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 2,232 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,750,471.28. This represents a 39.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total transaction of $1,658,048.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,541 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,745,625.48. The trade was a 12.37% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 6,451 shares of company stock worth $7,380,743 over the last 90 days. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 211.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 314.3% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,250.94 on Wednesday. W.W. Grainger has a 1 year low of $906.52 and a 1 year high of $1,286.56. The firm's 50-day moving average is $1,155.37 and its 200 day moving average is $1,084.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The stock has a market cap of $59.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.65, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.04.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.The business had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.86 EPS. W.W. Grainger's revenue 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger will post 45.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be given a $2.49 dividend. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 26.79%.

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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