W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 42.250-44.750 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 43.820. The company issued revenue guidance of $18.7 billion-$19.1 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $18.8 billion.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,045.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,045.75.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 5.5%

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,156.44 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $54.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.43, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.10. W.W. Grainger has a 52-week low of $893.99 and a 52-week high of $1,169.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 2.72. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $1,024.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $993.33.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.46 by ($0.02). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.40% and a net margin of 9.75%.The firm had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.71 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. Equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total transaction of $199,666.35. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 3,174 shares in the company, valued at $3,249,953.82. The trade was a 5.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,163 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 103,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $101,035,434.45. The trade was a 10.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 26,881 shares of company stock valued at $26,157,155 in the last ninety days. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting W.W. Grainger

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

• Positive Sentiment: Sales and top-line beat — Grainger reported Q4 sales of ~$4.4B, up ~4.5% y/y and ahead of consensus, showing continued demand momentum. GRAINGER REPORTS RESULTS FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2025
• Positive Sentiment: Endless Assortment expansion helping growth — Company commentary and analyst notes point to strong Endless Assortment growth offsetting some margin pressure and supporting sales gains. Grainger Earnings Beat Estimates in Q4, Sales Increase Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Strong capital returns and cash flow — Grainger generated ~$2.0B in operating cash flow for FY2025 and returned ~$1.5B via dividends and buybacks, which supports shareholder value. GRAINGER REPORTS RESULTS FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2025
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 EPS was essentially flat to estimates — reported EPS of $9.44 compares to $9.43 on a Zacks consensus (a small beat) but was $0.02 below another published consensus ($9.46), leaving the headline EPS reaction mixed. W.W. Grainger (GWW) Q4 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue guidance range broadly in line with Street — FY2026 revenue guidance of roughly $18.7B–$19.1B encompasses consensus, so top-line expectations are not a large surprise. GRAINGER REPORTS RESULTS FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2025
• Negative Sentiment: FY2026 EPS guidance is conservative relative to some estimates — company issued EPS guidance of $42.25–$44.75 with a midpoint slightly below the Street view, which likely pressured the stock. GRAINGER REPORTS RESULTS FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2025
• Negative Sentiment: Margin compression and lower EPS y/y — operating margin fell (Q4 down ~70 bps; FY down ~150 bps) and reported EPS declined versus the prior year, highlighting near-term margin pressure. W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State of Wyoming raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 650.0% during the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $134,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth about $141,000. Cinctive Capital Management LP purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at about $202,000. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $208,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.