William Blair Has Positive View of W.W. Grainger Q4 Earnings

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) – Research analysts at William Blair boosted their Q4 2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of W.W. Grainger in a report released on Thursday, October 31st. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now expects that the industrial products company will earn $9.71 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $9.31. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger’s current full-year earnings is $38.85 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for W.W. Grainger’s Q1 2025 earnings at $10.22 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $10.54 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $10.95 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $10.12 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $41.84 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $45.79 EPS.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.43 earnings per share.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Oppenheimer cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,058.50.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 2.4 %

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,122.38 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,038.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $973.17. W.W. Grainger has a 12 month low of $758.11 and a 12 month high of $1,130.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.17, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,167,913,000 after buying an additional 169,897 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 360,026 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $324,841,000 after acquiring an additional 17,699 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $281,104,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 243,470 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $219,386,000 after purchasing an additional 1,849 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 23.5% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $201,413,000 after purchasing an additional 36,892 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 41,198 shares of company stock valued at $41,784,426. 9.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

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.