W W Grainger (NYSE:GWW) had its target price increased by equities research analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $224.00 to $235.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday. The brokerage currently has a “market perform” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price objective would suggest a potential downside of 17.96% from the stock’s previous close.
Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sell” rating and set a $192.00 target price on shares of W W Grainger in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. TheStreet raised W W Grainger from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 13th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $245.00 price objective on shares of W W Grainger in a research note on Monday, November 13th. Credit Suisse Group reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective (up previously from $172.00) on shares of W W Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, January 9th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $185.00 price objective on W W Grainger and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 18th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. W W Grainger has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $220.69.
Shares of W W Grainger (NYSE:GWW) traded up $14.47 on Thursday, reaching $286.44. The company had a trading volume of 4,784,008 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,364,135. The company has a market cap of $16,320.00, a P/E ratio of 24.99, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.82. W W Grainger has a 52 week low of $155.00 and a 52 week high of $298.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 2.28 and a quick ratio of 1.28.
In other news, VP John L. Howard sold 21,000 shares of W W Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.56, for a total value of $4,631,760.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Laura D. Brown sold 9,158 shares of W W Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.86, for a total value of $2,132,531.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 16,893 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,933,703.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 9.60% of the company’s stock.
Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Exane Derivatives purchased a new position in shares of W W Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $101,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of W W Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $107,000. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of W W Grainger by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 606 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $109,000 after purchasing an additional 6 shares during the period. Fieldpoint Private Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of W W Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $133,000. Finally, Legacy Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of W W Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $198,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.00% of the company’s stock.
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About W W Grainger
W.W. Grainger, Inc (Grainger) is a distributor of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) supplies and other related products and services. The Company offers its products and services to businesses and institutions in the United States and Canada, with presence also in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
