W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Sets New 52-Week High – Here’s What Happened

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWWGet Free Report)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $1,349.74 and last traded at $1,319.4190, with a volume of 287671 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $1,329.80.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. Stephens increased their price target 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. Barclays increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,047.00 to $1,171.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,212.88.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.0%

The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.04. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,212.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,114.81.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWWGet Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The business had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.86 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. Research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.34 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $2.49 dividend. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total transaction of $1,658,048.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 10,541 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,745,625.48. The trade was a 12.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total transaction of $1,795,446.53. Following the sale, the vice president owned 2,232 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,750,471.28. This trade represents a 39.50% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,451 shares of company stock worth $7,380,743. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mattern Capital Management LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 12,234 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $12,345,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 212.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 54,215 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $55,795,000 after purchasing an additional 36,855 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 96,382 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $91,848,000 after purchasing an additional 2,596 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 160.6% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 68,139 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $68,756,000 after purchasing an additional 41,990 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 176.7% during the 3rd quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 1,558 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,485,000 after purchasing an additional 995 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About W.W. Grainger

(Get Free Report)

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.

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