W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.01 EPS

by · The Cerbat Gem

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW – Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The industrial products company reported $9.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.45 by ($0.01), Briefing.com reports. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.40% and a net margin of 9.75%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.71 EPS. W.W. Grainger updated its FY 2026 guidance to 42.250-44.750 EPS.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.6%

NYSE GWW opened at $1,097.17 on Tuesday. W.W. Grainger has a 52 week low of $893.99 and a 52 week high of $1,103.69. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock has a market cap of $52.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.77, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,019.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $992.42.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.35%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 14,523 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $972.81, for a total value of $14,128,119.63. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 107,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $104,929,232.22. This represents a 11.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total transaction of $199,666.35. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 3,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. This trade represents a 5.79% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 26,881 shares of company stock worth $26,157,155. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth $5,841,000. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.8% in the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,086 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,035,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,802,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 77.2% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 7,099 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,765,000 after buying an additional 3,093 shares during the period. Finally, Morningstar Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at about $8,667,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,045.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,045.75.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on GWW

About W.W. Grainger

(Get Free Report)

W.W. Grainger, Inc (NYSE: GWW) is an industrial supply distributor founded in 1927 and headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois. The company supplies maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products and services to businesses, institutions and government customers. Over its long history Grainger has developed a broad product assortment and a national distribution network that supports operations across a range of end markets, including manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, transportation and public sector organizations.

Grainger’s product portfolio spans core categories such as electrical and lighting, safety and personal protective equipment, material handling, motors and power transmission, plumbing and HVAC, fasteners and adhesives, hand and power tools, and janitorial and facility supplies.

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