W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Stock Rating Upgraded by William Blair

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) was upgraded by research analysts at William Blair from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report released on Monday, Marketbeat.com reports.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. One investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $981.16 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $47.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.35, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1,052.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,076.94. W.W. Grainger has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $8.33 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 313.3% during the 4th 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 acquiring an additional 1,153 shares during the period. Clark & Stuart Inc acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $1,741,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 27.0% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,312,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 72.6% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 9,270 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

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.