William Blair Comments on W.W. Grainger Q1 Earnings

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) – Equities research analysts at William Blair issued their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for W.W. Grainger in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, April 9th. William Blair analyst R. Merkel forecasts that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $10.74 for the quarter. William Blair has a “Outperform” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger’s current full-year earnings is $40.30 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for W.W. Grainger’s Q2 2026 earnings at $11.54 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $11.89 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $11.16 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $45.32 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $50.55 EPS.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Wolfe Research lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,130.89.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $964.83 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $995.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,072.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. W.W. Grainger has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $8.33 EPS.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

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.