Sanford C. Bernstein Initiates Coverage on W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW)

Research analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) in a research report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. The firm set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price target on the industrial products company’s stock. Sanford C. Bernstein’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 4.33% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,018.00.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $934.58 on Wednesday. W.W. Grainger has a 52-week low of $893.99 and a 52-week high of $1,227.44. The company has a market cap of $44.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.82. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $967.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,012.89.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $4.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.64 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.87 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total transaction of $496,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,771 shares in the company, valued at $1,758,355.06. This trade represents a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 231 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $220,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 14,871 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $14,172,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the period. Legacy Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth $1,056,000. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 9.3% during the third quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 10,949 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $10,434,000 after buying an additional 930 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth $2,208,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

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.