W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Price Target Cut to $1,428.00 by Analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada cut W.W. Grainger’s price target to $1,428 from $1,460 while maintaining a “sector perform” rating, implying about 10% upside from the stock’s previous close. Analysts overall rate the stock “Hold,” with an average target of $1,270.50.
• Grainger reported quarterly EPS of $12.01 and revenue of $5.02 billion, beating estimates of $11.30 and $4.96 billion, respectively; revenue increased 10.3% year over year.
• The company raised its 2026 outlook to adjusted EPS of $45.50–$47.25 and revenue of $19.4–$19.7 billion, citing sustained demand and stronger-than-expected quarterly performance.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by investment analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $1,460.00 to $1,428.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "sector perform" rating on the industrial products company's stock. Royal Bank Of Canada's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 10.03% from the stock's previous close.

GWW has been the topic of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on 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. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $1,250.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,270.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock traded down $2.65 on Wednesday, hitting $1,297.80. 195,670 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 286,473. The firm's 50 day moving average is $1,339.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,208.74. W.W. Grainger has a one year low of $906.52 and a one year high of $1,419.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.27 billion, a PE ratio of 34.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $12.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $11.30 by $0.71. The business had revenue of $5.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The company's revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.97 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 45.500-47.250 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 45.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 399 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $491,444.31. The trade was a 43.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total value of $1,051,325.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,554 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,913,067.24. This represents a 35.47% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,624 shares of company stock worth $3,232,291. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GWW. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,019,452 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,037,728,000 after purchasing an additional 23,399 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,217,834 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,230,214,000 after purchasing an additional 10,533 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position 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 valued at $1,081,554,000 after buying an additional 1,003,237 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of 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 valued at $1,036,584,000 after buying an additional 389,589 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.5% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 659,158 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $628,151,000 after buying an additional 3,114 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting W.W. Grainger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Grainger reported second-quarter sales of approximately $5.0 billion, up 10.3% year over year—or 13.7% on a daily, organic constant-currency basis. Diluted EPS rose 20.5% to $12.01, exceeding analyst estimates near $11.30, while revenue also topped expectations. Grainger Reports Results for the Second Quarter 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Operating margin expanded 120 basis points to 16.1%, supported by strong execution and IEEPA tariff refunds. The company generated $444 million in operating cash flow and returned $341 million to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. Grainger Beats Q2 Earnings Estimates on Margin Gains, Raises Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Grainger raised its full-year 2026 outlook to adjusted EPS of $45.50–$47.25 and revenue of $19.4–$19.7 billion, reflecting continued demand and better-than-expected quarterly performance. Grainger Forecasts Sales Growth and EPS as Tariff Refunds Fade

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

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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