W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Reaches New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $1,352.71 and last traded at $1,359.7860, with a volume of 76680 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $1,311.10.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on GWW. DA Davidson began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 price target for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,047.00 to $1,171.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,217.00.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average is $1,224.58 and its 200 day moving average is $1,123.95. The firm has a market cap of $63.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.36, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 47.87%. The business had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $9.86 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 45.34 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a dividend of $2.49 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.26. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.79%.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total transaction of $1,658,048.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,745,625.48. This represents a 12.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 854 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.06, for a total transaction of $1,051,325.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,554 shares in the company, valued at $1,913,067.24. This trade represents a 35.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 6,451 shares of company stock valued at $7,380,743. 6.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Miller Capital Partners Inc. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 211.1% during the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.