Brokerages Set W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Price Target at $1,151.50

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the fourteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $1,151.50.

Several research firms have weighed in on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $993.21 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $1,022.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,077.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger has a twelve month low of $874.98 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The company has a market cap of $47.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $8.33 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 21.18%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GWW. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth about $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 313.3% in the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,603,000 after buying an additional 1,153 shares in the last quarter. Clark & Stuart Inc acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,741,000. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 72.6% during the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $22,901,000 after buying an additional 9,270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bancreek Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $3,687,000. 80.70% of the stock is 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.