W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Receives $913.89 Average Price Target from Analysts

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $913.89.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on GWW. StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 16th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $825.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were 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 owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth about $210,000. Retirement Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth about $203,000. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 192.8% in the 1st quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 1,918 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,951,000 after acquiring an additional 1,263 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at about $61,000. Finally, Gateway Investment Advisers LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 31.9% during the first quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,297,000 after buying an additional 308 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $964.97 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.41 billion, a PE ratio of 26.65, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.14. The company’s 50-day moving average is $979.43 and its 200-day moving average is $859.14. W.W. Grainger has a fifty-two week low of $625.97 and a fifty-two week high of $1,034.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 2.88 and a quick ratio of 1.64.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.05 by $0.28. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.10% and a return on equity of 56.54%. The company had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $7.14 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 39.26 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 12th were given a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 20.55%.

About W.W. Grainger

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.