Sage Mountain Advisors LLC Acquires 79 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Sage Mountain Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 5.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,412 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $480,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SHW. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its position in Sherwin-Williams by 80.0% during the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 1,177 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $400,000 after buying an additional 523 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 13.0% in the third quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 1,818 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $694,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 52.6% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 6,680 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,271,000 after acquiring an additional 2,303 shares during the period. Burney Co. increased its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Burney Co. now owns 17,272 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $5,871,000 after purchasing an additional 766 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kerusso Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 75.9% in the 4th quarter. Kerusso Capital Management LLC now owns 10,290 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $3,498,000 after purchasing an additional 4,439 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,933,009.50. This trade represents a 34.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

Shares of SHW opened at $353.78 on Wednesday. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 12-month low of $282.09 and a 12-month high of $400.42. 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 company has a market cap of $88.98 billion, a PE ratio of 33.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $353.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $365.96.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. This is an increase from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on SHW shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $380.00 price objective (down from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $401.13.

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.