Voleon Capital Management LP Makes New Investment in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Voleon Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 7,528 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,935,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted 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 valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,012.78 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market cap of $48.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.16, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a 50-day moving average of $985.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,069.15. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $8.33 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Wolfe Research cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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 research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,116.00.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

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.