W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the fourteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have given a hold recommendation, two have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $1,109.00.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. Bank of America assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Loop Capital boosted 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 report on Monday, October 21st. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer cut W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock traded up $12.24 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $1,206.65. 206,717 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 235,635. The company's 50 day moving average is $1,098.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $997.28. W.W. Grainger has a 1 year low of $772.13 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The company has a market cap of $58.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.43 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger will post 38.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. This represents a 19.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GWW. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,997,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,074,702,000 after buying an additional 45,369 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,617,149 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,679,911,000 after purchasing an additional 40,992 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,167,031 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,208,610,000 after purchasing an additional 28,626 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 546,960 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $568,188,000 after buying an additional 42,866 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 360,026 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $324,841,000 after acquiring an additional 17,699 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.