W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Declares Dividend Increase – $2.05 Per Share

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, April 24th, Zacks reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a dividend of 2.05 per share by the industrial products company on Saturday, June 1st. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86.

W.W. Grainger has increased its dividend payment by an average of 7.1% per year 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 18.9% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect W.W. Grainger to earn $43.29 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 18.9%.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $945.89 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.19. W.W. Grainger has a 52 week low of $641.95 and a 52 week high of $1,034.18. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $977.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $886.65. The company has a market capitalization of $46.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $9.61 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 39.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Loop Capital reduced their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Monday, April 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $938.89.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.