W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Cut to Underperform at Wolfe Research

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wolfe Research from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report issued on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. They presently have a $966.00 price objective on the industrial products company's stock. Wolfe Research's target price would indicate a potential upside of 4.60% from the company's previous close.

GWW has been the topic of a number of other reports. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price 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. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,130.89.

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W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded down $18.91 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $923.52. 309,637 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 290,486. The firm has a market cap of $44.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.84, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. W.W. Grainger has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,013.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,076.89.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Busey Bank lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Busey Bank now owns 615 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $648,000 after buying an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 438 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $462,000 after buying an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 481 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $507,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Finally, United Community Bank boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. United Community Bank now owns 155 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $163,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.