W.W. Grainger shares tumbled 5.2% in pre-market trading on Tuesday after the industrial supply company reported its second-quarter financial results and issued full-year guidance.
The company posted Q2 net sales of $5,021 million, surpassing the consensus estimate of $4,953 million. However, its full-year earnings per share outlook of $45.50 to $47.25 appeared to disappoint investors, with the midpoint roughly in line with the $45.55 analyst consensus but the lower end falling short of market expectations. Full-year net sales are projected between $19,400 million and $19,700 million, compared to the $19,476 million estimate.
The pre-market decline indicates that the forward guidance may have overshadowed the quarterly sales beat, as traders reassessed the company's growth trajectory for the remainder of the year.