W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Price Target Raised to $1,125.00

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) had its price target hoisted by analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 in a research report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “sector perform” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s target price points to a potential upside of 1.80% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Northcoast Research began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Baird R W raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,058.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE GWW traded down $4.09 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $1,105.14. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 116,738 shares, compared to its average volume of 234,358. The company has a market capitalization of $53.96 billion, a PE ratio of 30.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. W.W. Grainger has a 52 week low of $747.00 and a 52 week high of $1,130.01. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,033.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $970.74.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.43 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger will post 38.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% during the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.