Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Sells 923 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund cut its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 42.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,265 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 923 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,250,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $54,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total value of $301,056.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,622,348.80. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,320. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on GWW shares. Wolfe Research downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,123.13.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW traded down $17.01 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $1,024.37. The company had a trading volume of 221,885 shares, compared to its average volume of 248,710. The company has a current ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market cap of $49.21 billion, a PE ratio of 26.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $1,055.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,044.43. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $888.75 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.28% and a net margin of 11.08%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.62 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were given a dividend of $2.26 per share. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.21%.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.