William Blair Weighs in on W.W. Grainger, Inc.’s Q3 2024 Earnings (NYSE:GWW)

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) – Investment analysts at William Blair dropped their Q3 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for W.W. Grainger in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, October 8th. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now forecasts that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $9.91 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $10.31. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger’s current full-year earnings is $38.75 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for W.W. Grainger’s FY2024 earnings at $38.60 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $10.49 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $10.78 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $10.86 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $10.32 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $42.44 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $46.55 EPS.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target on the stock. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,005.20.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,028.56 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $988.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $959.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.30. The firm has a market cap of $50.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger has a 52 week low of $674.41 and a 52 week high of $1,049.02.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.28 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction 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 $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Stephens Inc. AR increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 1,124 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $931,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. XML Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $221,000. State of Tennessee Treasury Department grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 58.3% during the fourth quarter. State of Tennessee Treasury Department now owns 22,351 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $18,522,000 after buying an additional 8,235 shares in the last quarter. Unigestion Holding SA acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $534,000. Finally, Cresset Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 11,969 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,918,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares during the period. 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.