W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

GWW has been the subject of several other research reports. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $913.89.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW traded down $19.19 on Friday, hitting $928.65. 357,375 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 235,833. W.W. Grainger has a 12 month low of $641.95 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18. The business has a 50-day moving average of $979.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $873.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 2.88 and a quick ratio of 1.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.65, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.14.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.10% and a return on equity of 56.54%. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $9.61 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 39.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of GWW. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bfsg LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 275.0% during the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

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.