Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Reduces Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund lessened its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 7.4% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,458 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 116 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,483,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $392,470,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,167,913,000 after buying an additional 169,897 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 82,775.0% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 43,095 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,712,000 after buying an additional 43,043 shares during the period. FIL Ltd grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 21.4% in the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 240,856 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $199,595,000 after acquiring an additional 42,395 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mediolanum International Funds Ltd purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth approximately $28,241,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of GWW traded up $16.19 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $970.34. 213,314 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 251,067. The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $674.41 and a 1 year high of $1,034.18. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $924.62 and its 200-day moving average is $941.80.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The company’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.61 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, June 14th. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Loop Capital lowered their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Stephens raised shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Monday, April 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $959.44.

W.W. Grainger 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.