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

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

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on SHW shares. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $455.00 to $446.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $375.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In other news, SVP Gregory P. Sofish sold 2,565 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.63, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Allen J. Mistysyn sold 14,520 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $366.83, for a total transaction of $5,326,371.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 63,520 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,301,041.60. This trade represents a 18.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sherwin-Williams

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its position in shares of 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 worth $694,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares during the period. Tamar Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Tamar Securities LLC now owns 48,753 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $18,608,000 after acquiring an additional 1,604 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 7.9% during the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,636 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $787,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB lifted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 4.2% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 117,055 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $44,676,000 after purchasing an additional 4,681 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Transcend Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 24.1% in the 2nd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 7,805 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,329,000 after purchasing an additional 1,514 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Down 0.9 %

SHW opened at $396.14 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.17. 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 has a 12 month low of $272.34 and a 12 month high of $400.31. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $377.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $345.63.

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

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.715 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $2.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.49%.

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.