William Blair Increases Earnings Estimates for W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) - Investment analysts at William Blair upped their Q4 2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of W.W. Grainger in a report released on Thursday, October 31st. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now forecasts that the industrial products company will post earnings of $9.71 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $9.31. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger's current full-year earnings is $38.69 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for W.W. Grainger's Q1 2025 earnings at $10.22 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $10.54 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $10.95 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $10.12 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $41.84 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $45.79 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Baird R W raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Robert W. Baird upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Bank of America began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,058.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

W.W. Grainger stock traded down $9.39 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $1,095.68. The stock had a trading volume of 150,930 shares, compared to its average volume of 234,596. The company has a 50-day moving average of $1,035.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $972.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company has a market cap of $53.50 billion, a PE ratio of 29.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.15. W.W. Grainger has a fifty-two week low of $758.11 and a fifty-two week high of $1,130.01.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. 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 earnings per share.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $281,104,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,167,913,000 after acquiring an additional 169,897 shares during the period. Swedbank AB bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth approximately $159,365,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 92,754.3% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 87,283 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $906,700,000 after buying an additional 87,189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 563.3% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 72,300 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $65,232,000 after purchasing an additional 61,400 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th will be paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is 22.23%.

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.