W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Rating Increased to Hold at Wolfe Research

Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Sunday morning, Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Baird R W lowered W.W. Grainger from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They issued an equal weight rating and a $990.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a hold rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $1,014.11.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE GWW opened at $1,032.16 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.50, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.16. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $974.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $957.40. W.W. Grainger has a 12 month low of $674.41 and a 12 month high of $1,049.02. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $9.28 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 38.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.64%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 10.0% during the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 121 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Optas LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Optas LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,221,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Copperwynd Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Copperwynd Financial LLC now owns 347 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $288,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.4% during the second quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.7% during the second quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $418,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.