Aberdeen Group plc Increases Stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Aberdeen Group plc boosted its stake in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 8.0% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 210,338 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 15,551 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $72,536,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 1,146 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $388,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 4.2% during the first quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 791 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $276,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 3.1% during the first quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,096 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $362,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 8.8% during the first quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 420 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $147,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 4.9% during the first quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 755 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, CAO James P. Lang sold 860 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.35, for a total transaction of $301,301.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 377 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $132,081.95. This represents a 69.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

SHW opened at $364.18 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $346.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $348.00. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 12-month low of $308.84 and a 12-month high of $400.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78. The firm has a market cap of $90.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.13, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.16.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The specialty chemicals company reported $3.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.76 by ($0.38). Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 66.91% and a net margin of 11.03%. The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.70 EPS. Sherwin-Williams’s revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $410.00 to $395.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $405.00 to $385.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $385.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $385.00 to $375.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $420.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $388.60.

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.