W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Barclays Analyst Says

Key Points

• Barclays raised its price target on W.W. Grainger to $1,047 but kept an "underweight" rating, implying about a 1.4% downside from the current price amid wide analyst divergence (MarketBeat average PT $1,080.38, Oppenheimer at $1,300).
• The stock traded near $1,061.84; Grainger posted Q results with EPS of $9.45 (missed by $0.01) and revenue of $4.43B (beat), set FY2026 guidance of $42.25–44.75 EPS, and is heavily institutionally owned (~80.7%).

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) had its price target hoisted by research analysts at Barclays from $1,044.00 to $1,047.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "underweight" rating on the industrial products company's stock. Barclays's price objective suggests a potential downside of 1.40% from the stock's current price.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,190.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,080.38.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded down $12.10 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $1,061.84. The company had a trading volume of 51,120 shares, compared to its average volume of 280,136. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,102.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,021.18. The stock has a market cap of $50.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.98, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. W.W. Grainger has a 12-month low of $893.99 and a 12-month high of $1,218.63.

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 (EPS) 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.39 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.71 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total value of $199,666.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 3,174 shares in the company, valued at $3,249,953.82. This trade represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 483 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $487,000 after buying an additional 9 shares during the period. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 788 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $795,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,805,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Sawyer & Company Inc increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Sawyer & Company Inc now owns 676 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $682,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dearborn Partners LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC now owns 305 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $308,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

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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