Kentucky Retirement Systems Sells 200 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Kentucky Retirement Systems lowered its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,095 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,215,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 9.4% during the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 561 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $570,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth about $487,000. Cynosure Group LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at about $332,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 53.8% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 140 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $143,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. This represents a 19.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,178.33 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $1,078.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $988.48. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $772.13 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.38 billion, a PE ratio of 31.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $9.43 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.91 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on GWW. Baird R W raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective on the stock. Loop Capital increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,086.50.

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.