Q4 EPS Estimates for W.W. Grainger Raised by William Blair

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) – Research analysts at William Blair boosted their Q4 2024 earnings estimates for W.W. Grainger in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, October 31st. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now forecasts that the industrial products company will earn $9.71 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $9.31. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger’s current full-year earnings is $38.69 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for W.W. Grainger’s Q1 2025 earnings at $10.22 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $10.54 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $10.95 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $10.12 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $41.84 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $45.79 EPS.

GWW has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Loop Capital upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,058.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.8 %

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,095.68 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,035.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $972.05. W.W. Grainger has a 52-week low of $758.11 and a 52-week high of $1,130.01. The company has a market cap of $53.50 billion, a PE ratio of 29.70, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.59.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The company had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.43 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 36.6% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 9,506 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,664,000 after acquiring an additional 2,548 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1,201.6% in the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $748,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 11.2% during the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 59,822 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $60,857,000 after purchasing an additional 6,042 shares during the period. Cetera Advisors LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 576.3% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 5,559 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,655,000 after buying an additional 4,737 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Trust Co increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 280.4% in the 2nd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 2,621 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,365,000 after buying an additional 1,932 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

About W.W. Grainger

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.