W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $2.05 on March 1st

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, January 29th,RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of 2.05 per share by the industrial products company on Saturday, March 1st. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th.

W.W. Grainger has increased its dividend by an average of 7.8% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 35 consecutive years. W.W. Grainger has a dividend payout ratio of 17.7% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect W.W. Grainger to earn $41.91 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 19.6%.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,125.99 on Friday. W.W. Grainger has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,121.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,063.88.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its 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). The company had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $9.43 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 38.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on GWW shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Loop Capital raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target for the company. Finally, Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,140.56.

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.