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

Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Hold" from the twelve analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $1,123.13.

GWW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW opened at $1,050.49 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.74 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1,060.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,038.86. W.W. Grainger has a 1 year low of $888.75 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $50.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.08% and a return on equity of 51.28%. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.62 EPS. The business's revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total transaction of $301,056.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This trade represents a 7.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. McLean Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $200,000. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,893,000. Modern Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 157.1% during the 1st quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 982 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $970,000 after buying an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Nova Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Carderock Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 12.2% during the 1st quarter. Carderock Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,327 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,262,000 after buying an additional 578 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

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.

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