Dearborn Partners LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Dearborn Partners LLC decreased its position in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 106,107 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 1,340 shares during the quarter. Sherwin-Williams accounts for 1.5% of Dearborn Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Dearborn Partners LLC’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $36,069,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SHW. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 1,000.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 99 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value of $1,008,479.70. Following the sale, the insider now owns 5,365 shares in the company, valued at $1,933,009.50. The trade was a 34.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Down 1.5 %

SHW opened at $358.11 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.79. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a fifty-two week low of $282.09 and a fifty-two week high of $400.42. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $353.08 and its 200 day moving average is $365.99. The stock has a market cap of $90.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.02. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 11.61% and a return on equity of 74.50%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.81 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. This is a boost from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Sherwin-Williams’s payout ratio is presently 29.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on SHW shares. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $380.00 target price (down previously from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Monday. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $423.00 target price (up previously from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $401.13.

Sherwin-Williams Profile

The Sherwin-Williams Company engages in the development, manufacture, distribution, and sale of paints, coating, and related products to professional, industrial, commercial, and retail customers. It operates through three segments: Paint Stores Group, Consumer Brands Group, and Performance Coatings Group.