American Century Companies Inc. Purchases 129,318 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 42.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 431,402 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 129,318 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $146,646,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 45.9% during the 4th quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 21,960 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $7,465,000 after buying an additional 6,911 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at about $871,000. Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 53.4% in the fourth quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 3,449 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,172,000 after acquiring an additional 1,201 shares in the last quarter. Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc. now owns 23,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $7,818,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the period. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth about $347,000. 77.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Down 0.5 %

NYSE SHW opened at $334.38 on Monday. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52 week low of $282.09 and a 52 week high of $400.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.69, a PEG 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $353.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $364.61.

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 quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Zelman & Associates raised Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $321.00 to $420.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com cut shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 28th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $423.00 price objective (up previously from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $401.13.

Insider Activity at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were 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 owns 5,365 shares in the company, valued at $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 available through the SEC website. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.