Jefferies Financial Group Reiterates “Hold” Rating for Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW)

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW)‘s stock had its “hold” rating reaffirmed by investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group in a research note issued on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They presently have a $380.00 target price on the specialty chemicals company’s stock, down from their previous target price of $423.00. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 4.40% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on SHW. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $423.00 price target (up previously from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 target price on Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $401.13.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

Shares of Sherwin-Williams stock opened at $363.99 on Monday. Sherwin-Williams has a 1-year low of $282.09 and a 1-year high of $400.42. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $352.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $365.99. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $91.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.81 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Sherwin-Williams will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

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 transaction of $1,008,479.70. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,933,009.50. This represents a 34.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

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.