W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Research Coverage Started at UBS Group

UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) in a research note released on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. The firm issued a neutral rating and a $1,280.00 price objective on the industrial products company’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Baird R W raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,086.50.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $1,178.33 on Wednesday. W.W. Grainger has a 1 year low of $772.13 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $1,078.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $988.02. The company has a market cap of $57.38 billion, a PE ratio of 31.94, a PEG ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.43 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 38.91 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 22.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 19.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733 in the last quarter. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,167,031 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,208,610,000 after purchasing an additional 28,626 shares in the last quarter. Foyston Gordon & Payne Inc boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.4% during the third quarter. Foyston Gordon & Payne Inc now owns 6,092 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,328,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 6.1% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 56,091 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $58,268,000 after buying an additional 3,204 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 7,146 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,424,000 after buying an additional 537 shares during the period. Finally, Dorsey Wright & Associates raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Dorsey Wright & Associates now owns 3,927 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,079,000 after buying an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.