Zacks Research Predicts Reduced Earnings for W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q4 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, December 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $9.37 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $9.38. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger’s current full-year earnings is $40.30 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.W. Grainger’s Q4 2026 earnings at $10.27 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $42.76 EPS and Q2 2027 earnings at $11.81 EPS.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Barclays boosted 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 report on Friday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $1,009.43.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.6%

GWW opened at $1,023.77 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. W.W. Grainger has a twelve month low of $893.99 and a twelve month high of $1,139.15. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $960.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $995.45.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $0.26. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.40% and a net margin of 9.75%.The company had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.87 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.35%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 14,523 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $972.81, for a total value of $14,128,119.63. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 107,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $104,929,232.22. The trade was a 11.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 20.5% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,653 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,623,000 after buying an additional 281 shares during the period. Strategic Advocates LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 3.4% in the third quarter. Strategic Advocates LLC now owns 990 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $944,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $67,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 12,090 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $11,521,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $5,841,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.