W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) had its target price boosted by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $1,190.00 to $1,300.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price points to a potential upside of 4.66% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Stephens upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,300.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,170.00 to $1,337.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,212.88.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded down $7.14 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $1,242.09. The company had a trading volume of 74,828 shares, compared to its average volume of 268,860. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1,155.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,084.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The firm has a market cap of $58.64 billion, a PE ratio of 33.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.04. W.W. Grainger has a fifty-two week low of $906.52 and a fifty-two week high of $1,286.56.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $11.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.21 by $1.44. The company had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.87% and a net margin of 9.70%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.86 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 44.250-46.250 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger will post 45.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 1,457 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,232.29, for a total value of $1,795,446.53. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 2,232 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,750,471.28. This represents a 39.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,488 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,114.28, for a total value of $1,658,048.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,745,625.48. The trade was a 12.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,451 shares of company stock valued at $7,380,743. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 211.1% in the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 314.3% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.