W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Downgraded to “Underperform” Rating by Wolfe Research

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) was downgraded by Wolfe Research from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report issued on Thursday,Briefing.com Automated Import reports. They presently have a $966.00 target price on the industrial products company’s stock. Wolfe Research’s price objective would indicate a potential downside of 4.04% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on GWW. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,130.89.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,006.70 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,019.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,077.19. W.W. Grainger has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market cap of $48.54 billion, a PE ratio of 26.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same period last year, the company earned $8.33 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.