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

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the ten ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $1,274.1250.

Several research analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley boosted 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 note on Wednesday, May 27th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,166.00 to $1,185.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,350.00 to $1,375.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,303,024,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 1,462.1% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,071,854 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,081,554,000 after acquiring an additional 1,003,237 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $518,958,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 34,269.9% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 435,466 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $439,407,000 after purchasing an additional 434,199 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 61.1% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,027,286 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,036,584,000 after purchasing an additional 389,589 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,322.34 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $62.28 billion, a PE ratio of 33.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 2.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. W.W. Grainger has a 52 week low of $906.52 and a 52 week high of $1,419.91. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,345.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,222.27.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $12.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.30 by $0.71. The firm had revenue of $5.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 48.73% and a net margin of 9.92%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.97 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 45.500-47.250 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 46.14 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a dividend of $2.49 per share. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.40%.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

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.