W W Grainger (NYSE:GWW) had its price objective upped by equities research analysts at Oppenheimer from $245.00 to $320.00 in a research note issued on Thursday. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Oppenheimer’s target price indicates a potential upside of 11.72% from the stock’s current price.
Several other research firms have also issued reports on GWW. Atlantic Securities upgraded W W Grainger from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 19th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on W W Grainger from $146.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 7th. Stephens reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $264.00 price objective on shares of W W Grainger in a research report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $178.00 price objective (up from $165.00) on shares of W W Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 9th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group set a $172.00 price objective on W W Grainger and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 18th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. W W Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $220.69.
W W Grainger (NYSE:GWW) traded up $14.47 during trading on Thursday, hitting $286.44. The stock had a trading volume of 4,860,006 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,365,424. The firm has a market cap of $16,320.00, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.99, a P/E/G 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 related news, VP Laura D. Brown sold 9,158 shares of the business’s 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 directly owns 16,893 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,933,703.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP John L. Howard sold 21,000 shares of the company’s 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Exane Derivatives acquired a new position in W W Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $101,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in W W Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $107,000. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. boosted its position in W W Grainger by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 606 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $109,000 after acquiring an additional 6 shares during the last quarter. Fieldpoint Private Securities LLC acquired a new position in W W Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $133,000. Finally, Legacy Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W W Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $198,000. 85.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
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.
