W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have assigned a hold recommendation, two have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $1,140.56.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,092.96 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger has a fifty-two week low of $800.97 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $1,151.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,028.54.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.43 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 38.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This trade represents a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. This represents a 11.65 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 23,398 shares of company stock worth $25,116,181. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 8.3% during the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,756 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,389,000 after buying an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 141.9% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 583 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $526,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Vicus Capital raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 13.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vicus Capital now owns 390 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $352,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. &PARTNERS lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 981.5% in the 2nd quarter. &PARTNERS now owns 4,975 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,491,000 after purchasing an additional 4,515 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 22.2% during the second quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 594 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $536,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.