W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Price Target Raised to $1,460.00

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) had its price target boosted by Royal Bank Of Canada from $1,337.00 to $1,460.00 in a report issued on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. Royal Bank Of Canada currently has a sector perform rating on the industrial products company’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on GWW. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,052.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Barclays decreased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,171.00 to $1,166.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, DA Davidson initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,250.00 price objective for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,230.11.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,392.73 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.75 billion, a PE ratio of 37.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.60. W.W. Grainger has a one year low of $906.52 and a one year high of $1,419.91. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $1,312.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,178.69.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.21 by $1.44. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 45.46 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a dividend of $2.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 dividend yield of 0.7%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.79%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total value of $1,795,446.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 2,232 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,750,471.28. The trade was a 39.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,231.69, for a total value of $385,518.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 399 shares in the company, valued at $491,444.31. The trade was a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,624 shares of company stock worth $3,232,291. Insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 420.0% in the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 26 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Miller Capital Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.