Royal Bank of Canada Issues Positive Forecast for W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Stock Price

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by Royal Bank of Canada from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 in a report issued on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. Royal Bank of Canada currently has a sector perform rating on the industrial products company's stock.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on GWW. Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $990.00 target price on the stock. Loop Capital lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,058.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.4 %

GWW traded down $4.16 during trading on Friday, hitting $1,105.07. The stock had a trading volume of 236,592 shares, compared to its average volume of 234,978. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,035.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $971.79. The company has a market capitalization of $53.96 billion, a PE ratio of 30.32, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.30. W.W. Grainger has a twelve month low of $747.00 and a twelve month high of $1,130.01.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $9.43 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 38.69 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth about $281,104,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% in the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,167,913,000 after purchasing an additional 169,897 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at approximately $159,365,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 87,189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $65,232,000 after buying an additional 61,400 shares in 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, 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.