The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Shares Acquired by Southeast Asset Advisors LLC

Southeast Asset Advisors LLC lifted its position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 5.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,732 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Southeast Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $589,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in SHW. Twin Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 16.8% in the fourth quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,689 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $3,294,000 after purchasing an additional 1,393 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,285,346 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $436,928,000 after buying an additional 12,602 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in Sherwin-Williams by 36.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 440,137 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $149,616,000 after buying an additional 116,582 shares during the last quarter. Polymer Capital Management US LLC acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,926,000. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,588,755 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,239,715,000 after acquiring an additional 106,093 shares during the last quarter. 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value of $1,008,479.70. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 5,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,933,009.50. This trade represents a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on SHW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays reduced their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $385.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $380.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Berenberg Bank upgraded Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $423.00 price objective (up previously from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. One investment 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.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $398.94.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Down 2.6 %

Shares of SHW opened at $331.91 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $352.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $362.71. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a one year low of $282.09 and a one year high of $400.42. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $83.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.46, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter last year, the business earned $1.81 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.95%.

About Sherwin-Williams

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.