W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Raised to Outperform at William Blair

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at William Blair from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report issued on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. William Blair also issued estimates for W.W. Grainger's FY2026 earnings at $45.27 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. UBS Group started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,151.50.

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W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock traded down $13.62 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $954.67. The company had a trading volume of 331,035 shares, compared to its average volume of 236,157. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $1,050.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,076.17. The company has a market capitalization of $46.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. 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 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 last year, the firm earned $8.33 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,330,688 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $5,618,812,000 after purchasing an additional 40,376 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.3% in the third 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 last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,617,149 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,679,911,000 after acquiring an additional 40,992 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,194,747 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,256,400,000 after acquiring an additional 27,716 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 681,912 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $718,769,000 after purchasing an additional 84,595 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.