W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Raised to “Outperform” at William Blair

William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a report issued on Monday, Marketbeat reports. William Blair also issued estimates for W.W. Grainger’s FY2026 earnings at $45.27 EPS.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $967.57 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $46.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1,050.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,076.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. W.W. Grainger has a 1-year low of $874.98 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $8.33 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.