W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Receives $1,140.56 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the thirteen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation, two have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $1,140.56.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on GWW shares. Oppenheimer lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Bank of America initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Baird R W raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643. Insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at $848,000. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 72.6% in the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $22,901,000 after buying an additional 9,270 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 27.0% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,312,000 after buying an additional 473 shares during the period. Concord Asset Management LLC VA increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 26.7% during the third quarter. Concord Asset Management LLC VA now owns 2,285 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,374,000 after buying an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 8.1% in the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 7,146 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $7,424,000 after acquiring an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE GWW traded down $15.79 during trading on Friday, reaching $1,053.05. The company had a trading volume of 288,857 shares, compared to its average volume of 228,243. The stock has a market cap of $51.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.55, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.18. The company's fifty day moving average price is $1,139.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,046.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger has a 12 month low of $826.55 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The company had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.43 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 38.94 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.