Mizuho Securities USA LLC Raises Stock Holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 45.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,960 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,911 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $7,465,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SHW. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter valued at $871,000. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its position in Sherwin-Williams by 53.4% in the 4th quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 3,449 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,172,000 after acquiring an additional 1,201 shares during the period. Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc. raised its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc. now owns 23,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $7,818,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter worth approximately $347,000. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 17.6% in the fourth quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 4,007 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,362,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the period. 77.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total transaction of $1,008,479.70. Following the sale, the insider now owns 5,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,933,009.50. This trade represents a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of SHW opened at $334.38 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 1-year low of $282.09 and a 1-year high of $400.42. The stock has a market cap of $84.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $353.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $364.60.

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

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. This is a boost from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on SHW shares. Zelman & Associates raised Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $423.00 price target (up from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. StockNews.com cut Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $380.00 price objective (down previously from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Monday, March 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.