DA Davidson Begins Coverage on W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW)

Analysts at DA Davidson started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) in a report released on Tuesday. The firm set a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 price target on the industrial products company’s stock. DA Davidson’s price target would suggest a potential downside of 4.94% from the company’s previous close.

GWW has been the topic of several other reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,217.00.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE GWW opened at $1,314.92 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $1,216.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,118.73. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market cap of $62.08 billion, a PE ratio of 35.37, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.04. W.W. Grainger has a 12 month low of $906.52 and a 12 month high of $1,349.74.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $9.86 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 45.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total transaction of $1,795,446.53. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 2,232 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,750,471.28. This represents a 39.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total transaction of $385,518.97. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $491,444.31. The trade was a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,451 shares of company stock valued at $7,380,743. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 46.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $338,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 18.0% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,851 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,816,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 169.6% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,826 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,980,000 after purchasing an additional 2,407 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 35.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 41,388 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $43,051,000 after purchasing an additional 10,784 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About W.W. Grainger

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.