W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) Price Target Lowered to $1,100.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) had its price target cut by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target suggests a potential upside of 5.08% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Baird R W raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. UBS Group began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective on the stock. One investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of GWW stock traded down $15.90 on Monday, reaching $1,046.77. 221,190 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 302,688. W.W. Grainger has a 1-year low of $874.98 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $50.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $1,118.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,065.90.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its 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 net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period last year, the company earned $8.33 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger will post 41.91 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This trade represents a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GWW. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $47,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.