W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Upgraded by Wolfe Research to Peer Perform Rating

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wolfe Research from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,171.00 to $1,166.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. DA Davidson initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Stephens boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,216.44.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,349.53 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger has a 52 week low of $906.52 and a 52 week high of $1,390.96. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $1,283.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,162.35. The company has a market capitalization of $63.71 billion, a PE ratio of 36.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. The business had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.86 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 45.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total transaction of $1,051,325.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,554 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,913,067.24. This trade represents a 35.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total transaction of $385,518.97. Following the sale, the vice president owned 399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $491,444.31. This trade represents a 43.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,624 shares of company stock worth $3,232,291. Insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 483 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $487,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 788 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $795,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,805,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Sawyer & Company Inc boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Sawyer & Company Inc now owns 676 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $682,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Finally, Dearborn Partners LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC now owns 305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $308,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

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.