W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Cavalier Investments LLC

Cavalier Investments LLC cut its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 54.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,260 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,493 shares during the period. Cavalier Investments LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,245,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Achmea Investment Management B.V. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 25,202 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $24,895,000 after purchasing an additional 1,404 shares in the last quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,084 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,071,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 10.0% in the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 3,530 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,487,000 after buying an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Board of the Pension Protection Fund increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 150.0% during the first quarter. Board of the Pension Protection Fund now owns 1,000 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $988,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.8% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,350 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,334,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total transaction of $301,056.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This trade represents a 7.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,320. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,016.48 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average is $1,055.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,043.43. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $888.75 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market cap of $48.83 billion, a PE ratio of 26.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

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

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wolfe Research lowered W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target 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 report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,123.13.

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.

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