Brokerages Set W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Price Target at $1,043.20

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the fourteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $1,058.50.

Several research analysts recently commented on GWW shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Loop Capital increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. 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 owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Aviance Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at $203,000. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at $356,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 121 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $124,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at about $87,000. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,666.7% in the first quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 530 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $539,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of GWW opened at $1,095.68 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The business’s 50 day moving average is $1,035.68 and its 200 day moving average is $972.05. W.W. Grainger has a 12-month low of $758.11 and a 12-month high of $1,130.01. The company has a market capitalization of $53.36 billion, a PE ratio of 29.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.15.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.43 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 38.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

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.