W.W. Grainger Q4 EPS Forecast Decreased by Zacks Research

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) – Zacks Research lowered their Q4 2025 EPS estimates for shares of W.W. Grainger in a note issued to investors on Thursday, May 15th. Zacks Research analyst S. Deb now forecasts that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $9.91 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $9.95. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger’s current full-year earnings is $40.30 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.W. Grainger’s Q4 2026 earnings at $10.76 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $44.15 EPS.

GWW has been the subject of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,120.00.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.8%

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,091.63 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. W.W. Grainger has a 52-week low of $874.98 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $1,006.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,065.05. The firm has a market cap of $52.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.20, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.62 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bancreek Capital Management LP bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,687,000. Columbus Macro LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 484.2% in the 4th quarter. Columbus Macro LLC now owns 5,830 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,145,000 after acquiring an additional 4,832 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,932,000 after acquiring an additional 414 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 35.8% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 959 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $996,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares during the period. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $399,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total transaction of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares in the company, valued at $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% 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 Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a $2.26 dividend. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 23.21%.

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.