W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $1,392.45 and last traded at $1,398.3260, with a volume of 7132 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $1,375.76.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target 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. Weiss Ratings cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on 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. Barclays cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,171.00 to $1,166.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,216.44.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.5%

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $1,292.40 and its 200 day moving average is $1,167.16. The company has a market capitalization of $65.25 billion, a PE ratio of 37.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.60.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. The company had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.47 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $2.49 dividend. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total value of $1,795,446.53. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 2,232 shares in the company, valued at $2,750,471.28. This trade represents a 39.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total value of $385,518.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $491,444.31. The trade was a 43.96% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 2,624 shares of company stock valued at $3,232,291 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mattern Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 12,234 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $12,345,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares in the last quarter. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $1,048,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 212.3% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 54,215 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,795,000 after acquiring an additional 36,855 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 160.6% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 68,139 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $68,756,000 after purchasing an additional 41,990 shares during the period. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 72.3% during the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 2,353 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,374,000 after acquiring an additional 987 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

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.