W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems lowered its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 5.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,355 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 179 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,413,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Bfsg LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 170.0% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 275.0% in the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.7 %

GWW traded up $16.19 on Friday, reaching $970.34. 213,314 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 251,067. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $924.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $941.80. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $674.41 and a 52-week high of $1,034.18. The company has a market cap of $47.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.79, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The company’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.61 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on GWW. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Stephens raised shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Baird R W downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $959.44.

About W.W. Grainger

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.