W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Plans Quarterly Dividend of $2.05

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, April 24th, Zacks reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a dividend of 2.05 per share by the industrial products company on Saturday, June 1st. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86.

W.W. Grainger has increased its dividend by an average of 7.1% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 54 years. W.W. Grainger has a dividend payout ratio of 18.9% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect W.W. Grainger to earn $43.29 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $8.20 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 18.9%.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $948.92 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger has a one year low of $641.95 and a one year high of $1,034.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.20, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The business has a fifty day moving average of $976.52 and a 200 day moving average of $887.09.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $9.61 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger will post 39.27 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stephens upgraded W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. StockNews.com upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Loop Capital cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $938.89.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 9.50% 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.