W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Posts Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.04 EPS

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04), RTT News reports. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $8.33 EPS. W.W. Grainger updated its FY 2025 guidance to 39.000-41.500 EPS.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,064.43 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $1,118.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,064.73. The stock has a market cap of $51.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.85, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.77%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.23%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares in the company, valued at $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This trade represents a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the subject of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. 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 target for the company. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned 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 target price of $1,140.56.

About W.W. Grainger

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.