Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Stock Price

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) had its price objective increased by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $990.00 to $1,215.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 3.66% from the company’s current price.

GWW has been the topic of a number of other reports. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,172.13 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,082.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $990.71. The company has a market cap of $57.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. W.W. Grainger has a fifty-two week low of $772.13 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 38.92 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 19.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares in the company, valued at $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

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.