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

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a cautious outlook: W.W. Grainger has an average “Hold” rating from 10 analysts, with seven holds, two buys and one sell. The average 12-month price target is $1,271.75, below the reported share price of $1,277.63.
• Quarterly results exceeded expectations: Grainger reported $12.01 in quarterly EPS and $5.02 billion in revenue, surpassing estimates of $11.30 and $4.96 billion, respectively. Revenue increased 10.3% year over year, and fiscal 2026 EPS guidance is $45.50–$47.25.
• Insiders sold shares while institutions hold a large stake: Company insiders sold 2,624 shares worth approximately $3.23 million over the past three months, while institutional investors own 80.7% of the stock. Grainger also declared a quarterly dividend of $2.49, equivalent to a 0.8% annualized yield.

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Hold" by the ten analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $1,271.75.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. DA Davidson lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,260.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,460.00 to $1,428.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Barclays lowered 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 399 shares of the company's stock, valued at $491,444.31. The trade was a 43.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 1,554 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,913,067.24. This represents a 35.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 2,624 shares of company stock valued at $3,232,291 in the last three months. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $6,303,024,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings 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 worth $1,081,554,000 after buying an additional 1,003,237 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $518,958,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised 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 worth $439,407,000 after acquiring an additional 434,199 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised 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 worth $1,036,584,000 after acquiring an additional 389,589 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,277.63 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $60.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.58, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.04. W.W. Grainger has a 12 month low of $906.52 and a 12 month high of $1,419.91. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $1,342.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,213.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 2.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $12.01 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $11.30 by $0.71. The company had revenue of $5.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 48.73% and a net margin of 9.92%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.97 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 45.500-47.250 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 46.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a $2.49 dividend. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 25.40%.

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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