Brokerages Set W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Price Target at $1,061.57

Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the nine analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $1,018.00.

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Loop Capital dropped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE GWW opened at $944.82 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $44.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 1.64. W.W. Grainger has a 12 month low of $893.99 and a 12 month high of $1,227.44. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $969.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,013.43.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $4.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.64 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The company’s revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.87 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be issued a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 10th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total transaction of $496,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,758,355.06. This represents a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quaker Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 196.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 24 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth $25,000. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 316.7% during the second quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 25 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Institutional investors 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.