Cigna Investments Inc. New Sells 11 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Cigna Investments Inc. New lessened its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 453 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 11 shares during the period. Cigna Investments Inc. New’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $471,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,105.07 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $747.00 and a one year high of $1,130.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The company has a market cap of $53.96 billion, a PE ratio of 30.32, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,035.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $971.79.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.43 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.69 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on GWW. Robert W. Baird upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer downgraded W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Northcoast Research started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,058.50.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.