W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the eleven analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $959.44.

GWW has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Oppenheimer upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird downgraded W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Stephens upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Baird R W downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total transaction of $467,667.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 203 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $168,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 10.0% in the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 121 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 436 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $361,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.7% in the first quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $471,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Copperwynd Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Copperwynd Financial LLC now owns 347 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $288,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $910.08 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $930.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $924.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market cap of $44.66 billion, a PE ratio of 25.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger has a twelve month low of $674.41 and a twelve month high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.61 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 39.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th were issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

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.