W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Price Target Raised to $1,171.00 at Barclays

Key Points

• Barclays raised its price target on W.W. Grainger to $1,171 from $1,047, but kept an underweight rating, implying about 5.21% downside from the current price.
• Other analysts were mixed: Stephens, Morgan Stanley, Sanford C. Bernstein, JPMorgan, and Weiss Ratings all made updates, and the stock’s overall consensus remains Hold with an average target of $1,199.13.
• Grainger reported strong quarterly results, with earnings of $11.65 per share and revenue of $4.74 billion, both beating estimates; the company also raised FY2026 guidance to 44.25–46.25 EPS.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) had its price target lifted by investment analysts at Barclays from $1,047.00 to $1,171.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "underweight" rating on the industrial products company's stock. Barclays's price target suggests a potential downside of 5.21% from the company's current price.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Stephens raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. 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 report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised W.W. Grainger from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,199.13.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded up $9.29 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $1,235.38. 21,746 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 269,347. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.69. W.W. Grainger has a 52-week low of $906.52 and a 52-week high of $1,286.56. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $1,126.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,061.99. The company has a market capitalization of $58.32 billion, a PE ratio of 33.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.04.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. The company had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.86 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 45.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total transaction of $1,658,048.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,541 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,745,625.48. The trade was a 12.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Accredited Investors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 211.1% in the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

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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