Zacks Research Forecasts Reduced Earnings for W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) – Research analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for W.W. Grainger in a report issued on Tuesday, February 17th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the industrial products company will post earnings of $10.09 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $10.40. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger’s current full-year earnings is $40.30 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for W.W. Grainger’s Q2 2026 earnings at $10.60 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $10.39 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $42.83 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $11.54 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $12.10 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $12.57 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $11.90 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $48.12 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $52.44 EPS.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The industrial products company reported $9.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.46 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.39 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 47.46% and a net margin of 9.51%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.71 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2026 guidance at 42.250-44.750 EPS.

GWW has been the topic of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Barclays raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,060.13.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,125.29 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $1,072.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,005.83. The company has a market cap of $53.51 billion, a PE ratio of 31.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. W.W. Grainger has a fifty-two week low of $893.99 and a fifty-two week high of $1,218.63.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be issued a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 25.54%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total transaction of $199,666.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 3,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. This trade represents a 5.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 14,523 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $972.81, for a total transaction of $14,128,119.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 107,862 shares in the company, valued at $104,929,232.22. This represents a 11.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 26,881 shares of company stock valued at $26,157,155 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Compound Planning Inc. increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 12.3% in the fourth quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 668 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $674,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 101.7% during the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,023 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,041,000 after acquiring an additional 1,020 shares in the last quarter. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $50,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 20.9% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 47,927 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $48,361,000 after acquiring an additional 8,293 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Widmann Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Widmann Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,025 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,034,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More W.W. Grainger News

Here are the key news stories impacting W.W. Grainger this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised a string of medium‑ and long‑term EPS forecasts for Grainger (updating several quarters and FY2026–FY2028). Notable lifts include higher FY2026 and FY2027 outlooks and upward revisions for multiple 2027 quarters — a sign analysts see stronger earnings power over the next 12–24 months, which supports a higher valuation multiple for GWW.
• Neutral Sentiment: The MarketBeat feature on Genuine Parts Company’s planned Automotive/Industrial spin‑off highlights how pure‑play industrial distributors (including W.W. Grainger) trade at premium multiples vs. conglomerates. The piece suggests sector re‑rating potential if investors revalue industrial peers; useful for sentiment but not direct company news. The Hidden Value in Genuine Parts Company’s Spin-Off Plan
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also cut its near‑term estimate for Q1 2026 (to $10.09 from $10.40). That downward revision to the upcoming quarter increases short‑term uncertainty and can prompt profit‑taking or downside pressure even while longer‑term estimates rise.

About W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc (NYSE: GWW) is an industrial supply distributor founded in 1927 and headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois. The company supplies maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products and services to businesses, institutions and government customers. Over its long history Grainger has developed a broad product assortment and a national distribution network that supports operations across a range of end markets, including manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, transportation and public sector organizations.

Grainger’s product portfolio spans core categories such as electrical and lighting, safety and personal protective equipment, material handling, motors and power transmission, plumbing and HVAC, fasteners and adhesives, hand and power tools, and janitorial and facility supplies.