W.W. Grainger FY2024 EPS Estimate Raised by Zacks Research

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research raised their FY2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, November 14th. Zacks Research analyst S. Deb now expects that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $38.94 for the year, up from their prior estimate of $38.79. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger’s current full-year earnings is $38.92 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.W. Grainger’s Q4 2024 earnings at $9.69 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $10.89 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $41.68 EPS.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.43 EPS.

GWW has been the subject of a number of other reports. UBS Group started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Baird R W raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One equities research 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, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,086.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.2 %

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,178.33 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $1,078.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $988.96. W.W. Grainger has a fifty-two week low of $772.13 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The company has a market capitalization of $57.38 billion, a PE ratio of 31.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.15.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.70%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares in the company, valued at $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, 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 19.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 38.9% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

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.