WW Grainger rises after raising annual profit forecast, beating quarterly estimates

** WW Grainger GWW.N shares rise 2% to $1,427.01 premarket after Q3 results

** Toolmaker raises FY26 adj EPS forecast to $47-$48 from $45.50-$47.25; sales view to $19.8-$20 bln from $19.4-$19.7 bln

** Q3 adjusted EPS of $12.54 beats analysts' avg est of $11.67, per LSEG data

** Q3 sales of $5.18 bln top est of $5.08 bln

** High-Touch Solutions NA sales jump 13.8%; Endless Assortment sales up 11.9%

** Adjusted operating margin of 16.1% up 90 bps y/y

** GWW returns $396 mln to shareholders via dividends, buybacks

** As of last close, stock up ~39% YTD