W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 42.250-44.750 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 43.820. The company issued revenue guidance of $18.7 billion-$19.1 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $18.8 billion.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,045.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $1,250.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,045.75.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,097.17 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $52.17 billion, a PE ratio of 30.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.10. W.W. Grainger has a 52-week low of $893.99 and a 52-week high of $1,103.69. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,019.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $992.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $0.26. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.75% and a return on equity of 49.40%. The company had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $9.87 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th will be issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 25.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 14,523 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $972.81, for a total transaction of $14,128,119.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 107,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $104,929,232.22. The trade was a 11.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total transaction of $199,666.35. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. This trade represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 26,881 shares of company stock valued at $26,157,155 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State of Wyoming boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 650.0% in the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth about $134,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $141,000. Cinctive Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $202,000. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

About W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc (NYSE: GWW) is an industrial supply distributor founded in 1927 and headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois. The company supplies maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products and services to businesses, institutions and government customers. Over its long history Grainger has developed a broad product assortment and a national distribution network that supports operations across a range of end markets, including manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, transportation and public sector organizations.

Grainger’s product portfolio spans core categories such as electrical and lighting, safety and personal protective equipment, material handling, motors and power transmission, plumbing and HVAC, fasteners and adhesives, hand and power tools, and janitorial and facility supplies.