W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Downgraded to “Market Perform” at Oppenheimer

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) was downgraded by Oppenheimer from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Briefing.com reports.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Baird R W raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,030.70.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,112.93 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.16. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,002.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $962.39. W.W. Grainger has a 12 month low of $674.41 and a 12 month high of $1,115.63.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.28 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 38.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Integrated Advisors Network LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $201,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 45.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,443 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,825,000 after buying an additional 2,958 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 46.1% in the 4th quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,395 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,156,000 after buying an additional 440 shares in the last quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $431,000. Finally, CWM LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,884 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,917,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.