Q3 EPS Estimates for W.W. Grainger Raised by Zacks Research

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) – Research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of W.W. Grainger in a report issued on Tuesday, February 17th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the industrial products company will earn $11.76 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $11.52. The consensus estimate for W.W. Grainger’s current full-year earnings is $40.30 per share.

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

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,060.13.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,125.29 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $1,072.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,006.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.80, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. W.W. Grainger has a 52 week low of $893.99 and a 52 week high of $1,218.63.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be given a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.54%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was 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 directly owned 3,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. This trade represents a 5.79% 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 this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 14,523 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $972.81, for a total value of $14,128,119.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 107,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $104,929,232.22. The trade was a 11.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 26,881 shares of company stock valued at $26,157,155 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Compound Planning Inc. increased its holdings in 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 grew its position 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 valued at $2,041,000 after acquiring an additional 1,020 shares during the period. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 8,293 shares during the period. Finally, Widmann Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger News Summary

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.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

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.