The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $396.47.

Several research analysts have commented on SHW shares. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $455.00 to $446.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $375.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $430.00 to $420.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Monday, October 7th.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In other news, SVP Gregory P. Sofish sold 2,565 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.63, for a total transaction of $971,185.95. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 6,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,396,349.27. The trade was a 28.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Mary L. Garceau sold 15,770 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.92, for a total value of $6,275,198.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 29,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,621,253.60. This trade represents a 35.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sherwin-Williams

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Griffin Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 0.3% in the third quarter. Griffin Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,296 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,548,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,201 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $458,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in Sherwin-Williams by 47.5% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 87 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,560 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $595,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Interstate Bank lifted its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. First Interstate Bank now owns 1,466 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $560,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. 77.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

NYSE:SHW opened at $364.50 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $379.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $352.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.19. Sherwin-Williams has a 12-month low of $282.09 and a 12-month high of $400.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The specialty chemicals company reported $3.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.56 by ($0.19). The company had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.20 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 11.09% and a return on equity of 74.45%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.20 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Sherwin-Williams will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a $0.715 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. Sherwin-Williams’s payout ratio is 28.49%.

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.