Zacks Research Research Analysts Lift Earnings Estimates for W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q4 2024 EPS estimates for W.W. Grainger in a research note issued to investors on Friday, April 19th. Zacks Research analyst S. Deb now expects that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $9.20 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $9.19. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger’s current full-year earnings is $39.26 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.W. Grainger’s Q1 2025 earnings at $10.18 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $10.80 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $10.60 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $10.51 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $42.09 EPS and Q1 2026 earnings at $11.03 EPS.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.05 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.10% and a return on equity of 56.54%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.14 earnings per share.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Stephens raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Loop Capital downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price target for the company from $925.00 to $1,000.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $913.89.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $955.79 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $46.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $979.73 and a 200 day moving average of $871.45. W.W. Grainger has a twelve month low of $641.95 and a twelve month high of $1,034.18.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of GWW. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $392,470,000. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 17.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,396,928 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $966,451,000 after buying an additional 204,507 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 625,013 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $432,411,000 after buying an additional 47,731 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 82,775.0% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 43,095 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,712,000 after buying an additional 43,043 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FIL Ltd lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 21.4% during the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 240,856 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $199,595,000 after buying an additional 42,395 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 12th were given a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.55%.

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.