W.W. Grainger, Inc. Plans Quarterly Dividend of $2.05 (NYSE:GWW)

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, October 30th, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be paid a dividend of 2.05 per share by the industrial products company on Sunday, December 1st. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th.

W.W. Grainger has raised its dividend payment by an average of 7.1% annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 54 years. W.W. Grainger has a payout ratio of 19.4% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect W.W. Grainger to earn $42.04 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 19.5%.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,195.10 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $58.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.15. W.W. Grainger has a 1-year low of $764.13 and a 1-year high of $1,199.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,045.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $975.98.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share 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 company’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $9.43 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 38.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Baird R W raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,058.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the 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 transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 41,198 shares of company stock valued at $41,784,426. Company 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.