W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Rating Increased to Peer Perform at Wolfe Research

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) was upgraded by Wolfe Research from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports.

A number of other analysts have also commented on GWW. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted 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 note on Tuesday, April 21st. Stephens increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Barclays dropped 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,216.44.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.5%

GWW stock opened at $1,349.53 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger has a 1-year low of $906.52 and a 1-year high of $1,390.96. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $1,283.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,162.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.03.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS 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 company had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s revenue 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. Equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 45.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total transaction of $1,795,446.53. Following the transaction, the vice president directly 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 313 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president owned 399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $491,444.31. The trade was a 43.96% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 2,624 shares of company stock valued at $3,232,291. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 483 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $487,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 788 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $795,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,805,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Sawyer & Company Inc boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Sawyer & Company Inc now owns 676 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $682,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dearborn Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC now owns 305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $308,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

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.