W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $2.05 on June 1st

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, April 24th, Zacks reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a dividend of 2.05 per share by the industrial products company on Saturday, June 1st. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86.

W.W. Grainger has raised its dividend payment by an average of 7.1% annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 54 years. W.W. Grainger has a payout ratio of 18.9% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect W.W. Grainger to earn $43.29 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $8.20 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 18.9%.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $945.89 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $977.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $886.65. W.W. Grainger has a fifty-two week low of $641.95 and a fifty-two week high of $1,034.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.41 billion, a PE ratio of 26.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.19.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.26 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $9.61 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 39.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. Loop Capital decreased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Stephens upgraded W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $938.89.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

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.