Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. Takes Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. bought a new stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 10,226 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,476,000. Sherwin-Williams accounts for about 2.1% of Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of SHW. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. 77.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

NYSE SHW opened at $362.46 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.22. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $351.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $365.76. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 1 year low of $282.09 and a 1 year high of $400.42.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share (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 quarter last year, the business posted $1.81 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SHW has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $423.00 price target (up from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Wednesday. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $403.31.

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.