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

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 66.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,188 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 872 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,306,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Avestar Capital LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 467 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $485,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares during the period. Busey Bank grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Busey Bank now owns 615 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $648,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 438 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $462,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Finally, Virtue Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.2% in the third quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 223 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $232,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Northcoast Research started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.6 %

NYSE GWW traded down $16.23 during trading on Friday, hitting $1,008.08. 285,074 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 297,396. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $1,072.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,072.39. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market cap of $49.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.04, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $8.33 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

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.