UBS Group Begins Coverage on W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW)

UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat reports. The firm issued a neutral rating and a $1,280.00 target price on the industrial products company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective for the company. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,086.50.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,217.89 on Wednesday. W.W. Grainger has a 52-week low of $772.13 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $1,069.20 and its 200 day moving average is $985.00. The company has a market cap of $59.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.59, a PEG ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.15.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $9.43 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger will post 38.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 50,775 shares of company stock worth $52,489,979. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 36.6% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 9,506 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,664,000 after purchasing an additional 2,548 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1,201.6% in the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $748,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 576.3% in the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 5,559 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,655,000 after purchasing an additional 4,737 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 280.4% in the 2nd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 2,621 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,365,000 after purchasing an additional 1,932 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 72.6% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 13,795 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $14,034,000 after purchasing an additional 5,804 shares during the period. 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.