W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Reaches New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $1,138.88 and last traded at $1,135.45, with a volume of 42906 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $1,096.18.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,045.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,045.75.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 4.3%

The business has a 50 day moving average of $1,019.94 and a 200-day moving average of $992.42. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.02, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.10.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.45 by ($0.01). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.75% and a return on equity of 49.40%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.71 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. Analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be paid a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 25.35%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,163 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $972.57, for a total transaction of $11,829,368.91. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 103,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,035,434.45. This represents a 10.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total value of $199,666.35. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. The trade was a 5.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 26,881 shares of company stock worth $26,157,155. 6.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.9% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,731,880 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,462,252,000 after purchasing an additional 104,607 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,996,053 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,902,159,000 after acquiring an additional 13,779 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.9% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,260,610 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,306,289,000 after acquiring an additional 23,418 shares during the last quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth approximately $721,202,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.5% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 659,158 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $628,151,000 after purchasing an additional 3,114 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.