Brokerages expect W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) to announce sales of $3.21 billion for the current quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Six analysts have made estimates for W.W. Grainger’s earnings, with the lowest sales estimate coming in at $3.08 billion and the highest estimate coming in at $3.27 billion. W.W. Grainger posted sales of $2.84 billion in the same quarter last year, which would indicate a positive year over year growth rate of 13%. The company is scheduled to issue its next quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 22nd.
According to Zacks, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will report full-year sales of $12.91 billion for the current fiscal year, with estimates ranging from $12.85 billion to $13.03 billion. For the next financial year, analysts forecast that the business will report sales of $13.69 billion, with estimates ranging from $13.07 billion to $14.04 billion. Zacks Investment Research’s sales calculations are an average based on a survey of analysts that follow W.W. Grainger.
W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $4.48 EPS for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $4.30 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 5.37% and a return on equity of 41.31%. The firm had revenue of $3.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.24 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year.
A number of research firms have commented on GWW. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $452.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 10th. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $400.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 10th. Atlantic Securities upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $435.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 10th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $480.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $354.00 to $369.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $425.36.
In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 4,276 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $407.01, for a total transaction of $1,740,374.76. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 61,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,898,836.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP John L. Howard sold 2,535 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $407.21, for a total transaction of $1,032,277.35. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 40,893 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,652,038.53. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,805 shares of company stock worth $3,688,815. Corporate insiders own 13.97% of the company’s stock.
A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Perigon Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 112.8% during the 1st quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 83 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. 70.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
NYSE GWW traded down $12.30 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $454.77. 227,677 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 319,586. W.W. Grainger has a 12 month low of $286.41 and a 12 month high of $479.87. The company has a current ratio of 2.97, a quick ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.70 billion, a PE ratio of 39.27, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a 50 day moving average of $426.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $402.03.
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 10th will be issued a $1.62 dividend. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 7th. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.53. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.48%.
About W.W. Grainger
W.W. Grainger, Inc distributes maintenance, repair, and operating (MRO) products and services in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company provides material handling equipment, safety and security supplies, lighting and electrical products, power and hand tools, pumps and plumbing supplies, cleaning and maintenance supplies, and metalworking tools.
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