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

Key Points

• Analysts' consensus: Hold. Nine analysts cover GWW (2 sell, 5 hold, 2 buy) with an average 1-year price target of $1,071.38 versus the recent share price around $1,082.62.
• In the latest quarter Grainger reported EPS of $9.45 (missing by $0.01) and revenue of $4.43 billion (beating estimates), and set FY2026 guidance of 42.25–44.75 EPS compared with analyst expectations of about 40.3 EPS.
• Company snapshot: market cap about $51.24 billion and a P/E of 30.59; Grainger pays an annualized dividend of $9.04 (yield ~0.8%) with a dividend payout ratio of 25.54%.

Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the nine research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $1,071.3750.

Several brokerages have issued reports on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of 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. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,190.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,082.62 on Friday. W.W. Grainger has a 52-week low of $893.99 and a 52-week high of $1,218.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $1,100.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,020.67. The firm has a market cap of $51.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.10.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $9.46 by ($0.01). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.51% and a return on equity of 47.46%. The company had revenue of $4.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.39 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $9.71 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. Equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.54%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total transaction of $199,666.35. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 3,174 shares in the company, valued at $3,249,953.82. The trade was a 5.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Asset Dedication LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 136.4% in the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 26 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Accredited Investors Inc. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 211.1% during the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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