W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) to Issue $2.05 Quarterly Dividend

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, July 31st, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th will be paid a dividend of 2.05 per share by the industrial products company on Sunday, September 1st. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 12th.

W.W. Grainger has increased its dividend payment by an average of 7.1% annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 54 consecutive years. W.W. Grainger has a dividend payout ratio of 19.4% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect W.W. Grainger to earn $43.21 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $8.20 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 19.0%.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $979.31 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. W.W. Grainger has a 12 month low of $674.41 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.05 billion, a PE ratio of 27.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $928.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $948.65.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.28 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 39.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total transaction of $467,667.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on GWW shares. Stephens upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday, April 29th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Baird R W lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,017.13.

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.