Zacks Research Forecasts Lower Earnings for W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research lowered their Q4 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note issued on Thursday, November 13th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $9.38 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $9.73. 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 $10.58 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $10.31 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $42.83 EPS and Q2 2027 earnings at $11.84 EPS.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $0.26. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%.The company had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.87 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Loop Capital decreased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,018.00.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW traded down $10.26 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $924.69. 27,325 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 288,662. W.W. Grainger has a 1-year low of $893.99 and a 1-year high of $1,227.44. The stock has a market cap of $43.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.17. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $967.77 and its 200-day moving average is $1,012.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 1.64.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be given a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.35%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total value of $496,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,771 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,758,355.06. This represents a 22.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 46.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $338,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.4% in the first quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 1,209 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,194,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 238 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $235,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 10.3% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 79.8% in the 1st quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 365 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $360,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. 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.