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

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the fourteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation, three have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $1,151.50.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.1 %

GWW opened at $987.04 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $1,030.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,076.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.50, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $8.33 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.18%.

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.