The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Shares Bought by Wills Financial Group Inc.

Wills Financial Group Inc. increased its position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 13,611 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the period. Sherwin-Williams comprises about 2.0% of Wills Financial Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Wills Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $4,627,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 41.7% in the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 119 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

Sherwin-Williams stock opened at $331.26 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 firm’s fifty day moving average price is $342.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $357.43. The company has a market capitalization of $83.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.26. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 12-month low of $282.09 and a 12-month high of $400.42.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released 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 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 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $380.00 target price (down from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $392.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Sherwin-Williams Company 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.