W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Now Covered by UBS Group

UBS Group began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in a report released on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm issued a neutral rating and a $1,280.00 price target on the industrial products company's stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on GWW. Oppenheimer lowered W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Baird R W raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $990.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,086.50.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW stock traded down $5.95 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $1,202.39. The company had a trading volume of 186,056 shares, compared to its average volume of 234,965. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.59, a PEG ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.15. W.W. Grainger has a 12 month low of $772.13 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The firm's fifty day moving average is $1,069.20 and its 200 day moving average is $985.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.43 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 38.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 50,775 shares of company stock valued at $52,489,979. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

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.