W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Downgraded by Oppenheimer to “Market Perform”

Oppenheimer cut shares of W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,030.70.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,127.00 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.30. The firm has a market cap of $55.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger has a fifty-two week low of $674.41 and a fifty-two week high of $1,128.52. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,008.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $964.03.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.28 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 38.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.64%.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $281,104,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 17.4% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,167,913,000 after buying an additional 169,897 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth $159,365,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 563.3% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 72,300 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $65,232,000 after acquiring an additional 61,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 67.9% in the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 143,193 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $129,175,000 after acquiring an additional 57,894 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

About W.W. Grainger

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.