W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Price Target Raised to $1,125.00 at Royal Bank of Canada

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) had its price objective increased by Royal Bank of Canada from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a sector perform rating on the industrial products company’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on GWW. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target on the stock. Loop Capital increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer downgraded W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,058.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,095.68 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $1,035.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $972.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.50 billion, a PE ratio of 29.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.15. W.W. Grainger has a 12-month low of $758.11 and a 12-month high of $1,130.01.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.43 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger will post 38.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% during the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth about $42,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

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.