W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Plans Quarterly Dividend of $2.05

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, October 30th, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a dividend of 2.05 per share by the industrial products company on Sunday, December 1st. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%.

W.W. Grainger has raised its dividend payment by an average of 7.1% annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 54 consecutive years. W.W. Grainger has a payout ratio of 19.5% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect W.W. Grainger to earn $42.12 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $8.20 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 19.5%.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,100.34 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger has a 52 week low of $721.99 and a 52 week high of $1,129.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $1,030.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $969.76. The company has a market cap of $53.99 billion, a PE ratio of 30.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.28 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger will post 38.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on GWW. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Oppenheimer downgraded W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Bank of America initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,043.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.