W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Stock Price Target Raised at Oppenheimer

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) had its price objective raised by Oppenheimer from $1,375.00 to $1,645.00 in a research report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the industrial products company’s stock.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on GWW. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,365.00 to $1,400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,428.00 to $1,427.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,185.00 to $1,172.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,331.08.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,452.50 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,309.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,243.07. W.W. Grainger has a fifty-two week low of $906.52 and a fifty-two week high of $1,521.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The industrial products company reported $12.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.68 by $0.86. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 48.92% and a net margin of 11.17%. The firm had revenue of $5.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $10.21 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 46.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 9th will be paid a $2.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 9th. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 25.40%.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 18.0% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 15,029 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $19,263,000 after acquiring an additional 2,296 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.3% in the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,168 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,701,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Abacus Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $260,000. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 25.5% during the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 754 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,018,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ascent Group LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 379 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $472,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting W.W. Grainger

Here are the key news stories impacting W.W. Grainger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter adjusted EPS of $12.54 beat estimates, while sales rose 11.3% to $5.2 billion, also topping forecasts. Grainger cited improving demand and increased its full-year adjusted EPS outlook to $47–$48. Grainger third-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer raised its price target to $1,645 and kept an outperform rating; RBC lifted its target to $1,582 while maintaining a sector-perform rating. The higher targets indicate some analysts see further upside. Oppenheimer recommendations RBC recommendations
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst responses were mixed: Bernstein raised its target to $1,400, still below the recent share price, while Stephens’ new $1,380 target also sits below it and carries an equal-weight rating. Bernstein price target Stephens recommendations
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary flagged a higher valuation hurdle after Grainger’s rally, with a need for stronger core margins to justify the share price. The stock also lagged competitors in Thursday’s trading, suggesting investors may have focused on valuation and taken profits despite the earnings beat. Seeking Alpha analysis MarketWatch competitor comparison

About W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc is a distributor of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) supplies for businesses, government agencies and other organizations. Its product offerings include safety equipment, tools, fasteners, electrical and plumbing supplies, material-handling equipment, cleaning and janitorial products, HVAC supplies, and facility-maintenance products.

The company also provides services designed to help customers manage procurement and workplace operations, including product selection support, inventory-management programs, digital purchasing tools, and technical assistance.