W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Receives $1,130.89 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the fourteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have given a hold recommendation, three have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $1,130.89.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wolfe Research lowered W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW traded up $27.94 on Tuesday, hitting $1,020.26. The company's stock had a trading volume of 246,375 shares, compared to its average volume of 254,446. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $986.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,069.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. W.W. Grainger has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The company has a market capitalization of $49.19 billion, a PE ratio of 26.36, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $8.33 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

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.