JPMorgan Chase & Co. Has Lowered Expectations for W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Stock Price

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) had its target price lowered by investment analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target suggests a potential upside of 5.48% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target for the company. Oppenheimer lowered W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Northcoast Research began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of GWW opened at $1,042.87 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,111.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,067.22. W.W. Grainger has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $8.33 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 41.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth about $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 313.3% during the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,603,000 after buying an additional 1,153 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 72.6% during the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $22,901,000 after buying an additional 9,270 shares during the last quarter. Clark & Stuart Inc acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,741,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 27.0% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,312,000 after acquiring an additional 473 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.