W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Friday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Loop Capital downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $925.00 to $1,000.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $913.89.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded down $19.19 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $928.65. 357,375 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 235,833. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $979.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $873.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.62 billion, a PE ratio of 25.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.14. W.W. Grainger has a 12 month low of $641.95 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.88.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released 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 company had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.10% and a return on equity of 56.54%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $9.61 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 39.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 203 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $168,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 121 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $124,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 436 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $361,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $471,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Copperwynd Financial LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Copperwynd Financial LLC now owns 347 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $288,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% 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.