W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Receives $1,014.11 Average PT from Brokerages

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the eleven brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $1,014.11.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on GWW shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective for the company. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Robert W. Baird cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Baird R W cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $993.82 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $48.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $959.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $954.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. W.W. Grainger has a 12 month low of $674.41 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.28 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger will post 38.75 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,167,913,000 after purchasing an additional 169,897 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 689,090 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $571,042,000 after purchasing an additional 11,460 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $392,470,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 440,860 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $365,334,000 after purchasing an additional 10,940 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at approximately $281,104,000. 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.