Royal Bank Of Canada Issues Positive Forecast for W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Stock Price

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) had its price objective lifted by Royal Bank Of Canada from $1,427.00 to $1,582.00 in a research report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a sector perform rating on the industrial products company’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on GWW. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Stephens raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,355.00 to $1,380.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Barclays cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,185.00 to $1,172.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,331.08.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 2.5%

GWW opened at $1,452.50 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $68.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.91, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.95. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,309.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,243.07. W.W. Grainger has a 52 week low of $906.52 and a 52 week high of $1,521.41. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The industrial products company reported $12.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $11.68 by $0.86. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.17% and a return on equity of 48.92%. The firm had revenue of $5.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $10.21 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger will post 46.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 9th will be paid a dividend of $2.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 9th. This represents a $9.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.40%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth $6,303,024,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 527,969 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $575,914,000 after purchasing an additional 22,731 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 409,142 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $446,210,000 after purchasing an additional 9,743 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 24.1% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 363,308 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $494,244,000 after buying an additional 70,451 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 147,683.3% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 300,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $373,728,000 after buying an additional 299,797 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More W.W. Grainger News

Here are the key news stories impacting W.W. Grainger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter adjusted EPS of $12.54 beat estimates, while sales rose 11.3% to $5.2 billion, also topping forecasts. Grainger cited improving demand and increased its full-year adjusted EPS outlook to $47–$48. Grainger third-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer raised its price target to $1,645 and kept an outperform rating; RBC lifted its target to $1,582 while maintaining a sector-perform rating. The higher targets indicate some analysts see further upside. Oppenheimer recommendations RBC recommendations
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst responses were mixed: Bernstein raised its target to $1,400, still below the recent share price, while Stephens’ new $1,380 target also sits below it and carries an equal-weight rating. Bernstein price target Stephens recommendations
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary flagged a higher valuation hurdle after Grainger’s rally, with a need for stronger core margins to justify the share price. The stock also lagged competitors in Thursday’s trading, suggesting investors may have focused on valuation and taken profits despite the earnings beat. Seeking Alpha analysis MarketWatch competitor comparison

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

W.W. Grainger, Inc is a distributor of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) supplies for businesses, government agencies and other organizations. Its product offerings include safety equipment, tools, fasteners, electrical and plumbing supplies, material-handling equipment, cleaning and janitorial products, HVAC supplies, and facility-maintenance products.

The company also provides services designed to help customers manage procurement and workplace operations, including product selection support, inventory-management programs, digital purchasing tools, and technical assistance.