Q3 2024 EPS Estimates for W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Lifted by Analyst

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) – Equities researchers at William Blair boosted their Q3 2024 earnings estimates for W.W. Grainger in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, April 25th. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now forecasts that the industrial products company will post earnings of $10.58 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $10.19. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger’s current full-year earnings is $39.30 per share.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.26 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.61 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on GWW. Stephens raised W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $938.89.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $921.35 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $45.21 billion, a PE ratio of 25.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.14. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $979.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $877.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. W.W. Grainger has a 12 month low of $641.95 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GWW. FMR LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 17.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,396,928 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $966,451,000 after buying an additional 204,507 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 978,154 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $810,586,000 after purchasing an additional 12,445 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 751,855 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $520,163,000 after acquiring an additional 13,063 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 worth $571,042,000 after purchasing an additional 11,460 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 625,013 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $432,411,000 after acquiring an additional 47,731 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total value of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,664,629.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 20.54%.

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.