W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the ten research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $1,060.1250.

A number of research firms recently commented on GWW. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Barclays increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th.

Trending Headlines about W.W. Grainger

Here are the key news stories impacting W.W. Grainger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised a string of medium‑ and long‑term EPS forecasts for Grainger (updating several quarters and FY2026–FY2028). Notable lifts include higher FY2026 and FY2027 outlooks and upward revisions for multiple 2027 quarters — a sign analysts see stronger earnings power over the next 12–24 months, which supports a higher valuation multiple for GWW.
• Neutral Sentiment: The MarketBeat feature on Genuine Parts Company’s planned Automotive/Industrial spin‑off highlights how pure‑play industrial distributors (including W.W. Grainger) trade at premium multiples vs. conglomerates. The piece suggests sector re‑rating potential if investors revalue industrial peers; useful for sentiment but not direct company news. The Hidden Value in Genuine Parts Company’s Spin-Off Plan
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also cut its near‑term estimate for Q1 2026 (to $10.09 from $10.40). That downward revision to the upcoming quarter increases short‑term uncertainty and can prompt profit‑taking or downside pressure even while longer‑term estimates rise.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,125.29 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. W.W. Grainger has a 52-week low of $893.99 and a 52-week high of $1,218.63. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $1,072.73 and a 200 day moving average of $1,006.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 2.83.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.46 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $4.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.39 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.46% and a net margin of 9.51%.W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.71 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be given a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,163 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $972.57, for a total value of $11,829,368.91. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 103,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $101,035,434.45. This represents a 10.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total transaction of $199,666.35. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. This trade represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 26,881 shares of company stock worth $26,157,155. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quaker Wealth Management LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 196.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 24 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth $25,000. Miller Capital Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 136.4% in the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 26 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

About W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc (NYSE: GWW) is an industrial supply distributor founded in 1927 and headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois. The company supplies maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products and services to businesses, institutions and government customers. Over its long history Grainger has developed a broad product assortment and a national distribution network that supports operations across a range of end markets, including manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, transportation and public sector organizations.

Grainger’s product portfolio spans core categories such as electrical and lighting, safety and personal protective equipment, material handling, motors and power transmission, plumbing and HVAC, fasteners and adhesives, hand and power tools, and janitorial and facility supplies.