W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Downgraded by Wolfe Research to Underperform

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wolfe Research from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note issued on Thursday,Briefing.com Automated Import reports. They presently have a $966.00 target price on the industrial products company’s stock. Wolfe Research’s price objective would suggest a potential downside of 4.04% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also commented on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price 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 research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,130.89.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.3 %

GWW opened at $1,006.70 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,019.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,077.19. W.W. Grainger has a 1-year low of $874.98 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. 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 (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $8.33 earnings per share. Analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake 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 worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.