W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Reaches New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $1,138.88 and last traded at $1,135.45, with a volume of 42906 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $1,096.18.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on GWW. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,045.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,045.75.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $54.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 2.72. The company has a fifty day moving average of $1,019.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $992.42.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.45 by ($0.01). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.75% and a return on equity of 49.40%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.71 EPS. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.35%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total value of $199,666.35. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 3,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. The trade was a 5.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 14,523 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $972.81, for a total value of $14,128,119.63. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 107,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $104,929,232.22. The trade was a 11.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 26,881 shares of company stock worth $26,157,155 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.3% in the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 313 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,805,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. Sawyer & Company Inc increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Sawyer & Company Inc now owns 676 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $682,000 after buying an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 215 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $224,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Burney Co. boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.6% in the second quarter. Burney Co. now owns 1,757 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,828,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

About W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc (NYSE: GWW) is an industrial supply distributor founded in 1927 and headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois. The company supplies maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products and services to businesses, institutions and government customers. Over its long history Grainger has developed a broad product assortment and a national distribution network that supports operations across a range of end markets, including manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, transportation and public sector organizations.

Grainger’s product portfolio spans core categories such as electrical and lighting, safety and personal protective equipment, material handling, motors and power transmission, plumbing and HVAC, fasteners and adhesives, hand and power tools, and janitorial and facility supplies.