W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Monday morning.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on GWW. Robert W. Baird raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target for the company. Loop Capital raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Northcoast Research initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,058.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $1,195.10 on Monday. W.W. Grainger has a 52-week low of $764.13 and a 52-week high of $1,199.00. The stock has a market cap of $58.20 billion, a PE ratio of 32.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.15. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $1,041.21 and a 200-day moving average of $974.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger will post 38.87 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was 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 directly owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 41,198 shares of company stock valued at $41,784,426. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Adero Partners LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 7.6% during the third quarter. Adero Partners LLC now owns 354 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $368,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. now owns 5,444 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,655,000 after acquiring an additional 723 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 14,607 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $15,174,000 after acquiring an additional 1,041 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 236.9% in the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 11,360 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $11,801,000 after purchasing an additional 7,988 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 27.0% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,312,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

About W.W. Grainger

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.