Equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW – Get Rating) will announce earnings of $6.17 per share for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks. Five analysts have issued estimates for W.W. Grainger’s earnings, with the highest EPS estimate coming in at $6.62 and the lowest estimate coming in at $5.54. W.W. Grainger posted earnings per share of $4.27 during the same quarter last year, which would indicate a positive year over year growth rate of 44.5%. The business is expected to report its next quarterly earnings report on Monday, January 1st.
According to Zacks, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will report full year earnings of $24.52 per share for the current fiscal year, with EPS estimates ranging from $23.75 to $25.30. For the next financial year, analysts expect that the company will report earnings of $27.40 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $26.56 to $28.00. Zacks Investment Research’s EPS calculations are an average based on a survey of research firms that that provide coverage for W.W. Grainger.
W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 28th. The industrial products company reported $7.07 EPS for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $6.12 by $0.95. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 7.98% and a return on equity of 48.91%. The firm had revenue of $3.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.48 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.3% on a year-over-year basis.
Several brokerages have recently issued reports on GWW. Morgan Stanley cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $562.00 to $480.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 14th. Atlantic Securities raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $580.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 15th. William Blair reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Thursday, February 3rd. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Thursday, March 31st. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $525.00 to $560.00 in a research report on Friday, February 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $503.09.
In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 488 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $488.62, for a total value of $238,446.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 7,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,715,955.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP John L. Howard sold 1,732 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $509.24, for a total transaction of $882,003.68. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 20,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,473,539.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 10.00% of the company’s stock.
Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GWW. Garner Asset Management Corp raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 9.4% during the first quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 1,808 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $933,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 94.9% during the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 154 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Hills Bank & Trust Co raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.8% during the first quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co now owns 3,753 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,936,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. McDonald Partners LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth about $1,020,000. Finally, Harfst & Associates Inc. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 11.9% in the 1st quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. now owns 2,063 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,064,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.20% of the company’s stock.
Shares of NYSE GWW traded down $14.90 during trading on Friday, hitting $500.03. 422,549 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 284,384. W.W. Grainger has a 1 year low of $391.16 and a 1 year high of $529.91. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $499.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $490.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 9th will be issued a $1.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 6th. This represents a $6.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 28.89%.
W.W. Grainger Company Profile (Get Rating)
W.W. Grainger, Inc distributes maintenance, repair, and operating (MRO) products and services in the United States, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. It offers safety and security supplies, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance supplies, and metalworking and hand tools.
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