W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the eleven research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $959.44.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Baird R W downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. UBS Group lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $917.97 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $926.73 and its 200 day moving average is $927.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The firm has a market cap of $45.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger has a one year low of $674.41 and a one year high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.61 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 39.22 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total transaction of $467,667.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 3,178 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,633,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Ardevora Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $11,075,000. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 119.5% in the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 2,364 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,959,000 after buying an additional 1,287 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 13,885 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $11,292,000 after buying an additional 1,432 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 108,933 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $90,272,000 after buying an additional 6,197 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

W.W. Grainger, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services primarily in North America, Japan, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety, security, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance, and metalworking and hand tools.