Stephens Upgrades W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) to Overweight

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) was upgraded by research analysts at Stephens from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report issued on Monday, MarketBeat reports. The firm presently has a $1,250.00 price target on the industrial products company’s stock, up from their prior price target of $1,000.00. Stephens’ price target suggests a potential upside of 35.67% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Loop Capital lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $925.00 to $1,000.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective 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 increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $938.89.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.4 %

GWW stock opened at $921.35 on Monday. W.W. Grainger has a 12 month low of $641.95 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18. The firm has a market cap of $45.21 billion, a PE ratio of 25.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $979.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $877.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.61 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 39.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the 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 directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,664,629.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GWW. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Bfsg LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 170.0% during the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.