Analysts Set W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Target Price at $1,069.13

Key Points

• W.W. Grainger, Inc. has received an average analyst rating of "Hold," with two sell ratings, seven hold ratings, two buy ratings, and one strong buy rating.
• Analysts have reduced their price targets for Grainger, with notable decreases from Loop Capital to $950 and Royal Bank of Canada to $1,007.
• The company reported a quarterly EPS of $9.97, missing expectations, although revenue increased by 5.6% year-over-year, reaching $4.55 billion.

Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the twelve analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation, two have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $1,069.1250.

A number of research firms have weighed in on GWW. Loop Capital reduced their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,035.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 11th.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.4%

W.W. Grainger stock traded down $4.25 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $983.36. The company had a trading volume of 71,536 shares, compared to its average volume of 291,009. The company has a market capitalization of $47.03 billion, a PE ratio of 24.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger has a 12 month low of $893.99 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $1,004.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,019.01.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.07 by ($0.10). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The firm had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.76 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 38.500-40.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th were given a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 22.94%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total transaction of $496,430.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,771 shares in the company, valued at $1,758,355.06. This represents a 22.02% 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. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quaker Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 196.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 24 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 316.7% during the second quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 25 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About W.W. Grainger

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.