Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Purchases 2,940 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 171,071 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,940 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $58,152,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 1,000.0% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 99 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 41.7% during the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 119 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

Shares of SHW stock opened at $341.91 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $353.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $365.68. The company has a market cap of $85.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a twelve month low of $282.09 and a twelve month high of $400.42.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last posted its 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 company earned $1.81 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This is a boost from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Sherwin-Williams’s payout ratio is presently 29.95%.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

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