FY2024 EPS Estimate for W.W. Grainger Increased by Analyst

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) – Analysts at Zacks Research lifted their FY2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for W.W. Grainger in a note issued to investors on Thursday, November 14th. Zacks Research analyst S. Deb now expects that the industrial products company will earn $38.94 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $38.79. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger’s current full-year earnings is $38.92 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.W. Grainger’s Q4 2024 earnings at $9.69 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $10.89 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $41.68 EPS.

GWW has been the subject of a number of other reports. StockNews.com upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. UBS Group assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 target price for the company. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. Bank of America assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 target price for the company. Finally, Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.0 %

GWW opened at $1,172.40 on Monday. W.W. Grainger has a 1-year low of $772.13 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.15. The business has a 50 day moving average of $1,086.44 and a 200-day moving average of $992.40.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.43 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $281,104,000. Swedbank AB bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth about $159,365,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 92,754.3% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 87,283 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $906,700,000 after buying an additional 87,189 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 563.3% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 72,300 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $65,232,000 after buying an additional 61,400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 67.9% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 143,193 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $129,175,000 after buying an additional 57,894 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 19.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This trade represents a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.70%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

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.