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

Key Points

• W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus analyst rating of "Hold", based on 11 analysts: one sell, eight hold, and two buy ratings. The average 12-month price target is about $1,216.44.
• The company reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $11.65 beating estimates and revenue of $4.74 billion also topping expectations. Management set FY 2026 guidance at 44.25-46.25 EPS.
• Grainger raised its quarterly dividend to $2.49 per share, or $9.96 annually, reflecting a modest 0.7% yield. Insider selling was also noted, including transactions by senior executives in May.

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the eleven analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $1,216.4444.

GWW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. DA Davidson began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $1,250.00 price objective for the company. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,171.00 to $1,166.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,369.66 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $64.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.03. 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,305.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,174.54. W.W. Grainger has a 1 year low of $906.52 and a 1 year high of $1,405.72.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 45.45 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $2.49 per share. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 26.79%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total transaction of $1,051,325.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,554 shares in the company, valued at $1,913,067.24. This represents a 35.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total value of $1,795,446.53. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 2,232 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,750,471.28. This represents a 39.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 2,624 shares of company stock worth $3,232,291. Insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mattern Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 12,234 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $12,345,000 after acquiring an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $1,048,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 212.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 54,215 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $55,795,000 after purchasing an additional 36,855 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 72.3% during the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 2,353 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,374,000 after purchasing an additional 987 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 160.6% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 68,139 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $68,756,000 after purchasing an additional 41,990 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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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