Zacks Research Predicts Higher Earnings for W.W. Grainger

Posted by Francis Steltz on May 27th, 2026

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W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW – Free Report) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q1 2028 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for W.W. Grainger in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, May 21st. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the industrial products company will post earnings of $12.49 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $12.43. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger’s current full-year earnings is $45.35 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.W. Grainger’s FY2028 earnings at $52.98 EPS.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. The company had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Weiss Ratings upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,199.13.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,250.94 on Wednesday. W.W. Grainger has a 52-week low of $906.52 and a 52-week high of $1,286.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.69. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,155.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,084.30. The company has a market capitalization of $59.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.65, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.04.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a dividend of $2.49 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.79%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total value of $1,795,446.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,232 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,750,471.28. This represents a 39.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 2,339 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,064.73, for a total transaction of $2,490,403.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,897,511.55. This trade represents a 18.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 6,451 shares of company stock valued at $7,380,743 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Glenmede Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.5% during the first quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 5,420 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,912,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Summitry LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.1% during the first quarter. Summitry LLC now owns 257 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $280,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 17.1% in the 1st quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 623 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $680,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Groupe la Francaise raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 3,473 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,788,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 527,969 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $575,914,000 after buying an additional 22,731 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

About W.W. Grainger

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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.