W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Given New $1,112.00 Price Target at Royal Bank of Canada

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) had its price objective lowered by investment analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “sector perform” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 6.17% from the stock’s current price.

GWW has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Baird R W raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Loop Capital increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,139.11.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.4 %

W.W. Grainger stock traded down $15.27 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $1,047.41. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 138,812 shares, compared to its average volume of 298,996. The company has a 50 day moving average of $1,118.60 and a 200-day moving average of $1,065.90. The stock has a market cap of $51.01 billion, a PE ratio of 27.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.17. 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 has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 period in the prior year, the company posted $8.33 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger will post 41.91 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares in the company, valued at $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Czech National Bank grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 8.6% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 9,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,402,000 after acquiring an additional 718 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.0% in the third quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,230,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 22.0% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 594 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $617,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 23.0% in the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 3,224 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,349,000 after purchasing an additional 603 shares during the period. Finally, Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.5% in the third quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc now owns 4,488 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,662,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

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.