W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Receives $1,109.00 Consensus PT from Brokerages

Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the thirteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $1,140.56.

GWW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.8 %

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,090.98 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger has a 1-year low of $800.97 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,150.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,032.35. The company has a market capitalization of $53.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.57, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $9.43 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 38.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at $4,895,021.36. This trade represents a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This represents a 11.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 23,398 shares of company stock worth $25,116,181. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.3% during the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,756 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,389,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 141.9% in the second quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 583 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $526,000 after buying an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Vicus Capital grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 13.7% during the second quarter. Vicus Capital now owns 390 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $352,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. &PARTNERS increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 981.5% during the second quarter. &PARTNERS now owns 4,975 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,491,000 after buying an additional 4,515 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 22.2% in the second quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 594 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $536,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.