W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Price Target Raised to $1,300.00

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) had its price objective boosted by Oppenheimer from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 in a research note published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the industrial products company’s stock.

GWW has been the topic of a number of other reports. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of 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. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective 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. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on 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 analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,060.13.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,198.11 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,038.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $997.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.97 billion, a PE ratio of 33.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.10. W.W. Grainger has a fifty-two week low of $893.99 and a fifty-two week high of $1,204.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 2.83.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.46 by ($0.02). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.51% and a return on equity of 47.46%. The business had revenue of $4.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.39 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.71 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th will be given 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 25.54%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Quaker Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 196.0% in the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 24 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Accredited Investors Inc. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 136.4% during the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 26 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About W.W. Grainger

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.