The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Shares Acquired by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,412,722 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 78,075 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.56% of Sherwin-Williams worth $542,711,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 16,153 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $6,165,000 after purchasing an additional 1,567 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 2,092.0% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 16,747 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $6,392,000 after buying an additional 15,983 shares in the last quarter. Arvest Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter worth $350,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its position in Sherwin-Williams by 17.1% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 43,295 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $16,812,000 after buying an additional 6,308 shares during the period. Finally, Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter valued at $608,000. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:SHW opened at $364.50 on Friday. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52-week low of $282.09 and a 52-week high of $400.42. The stock has a market cap of $91.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.30, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.19. The business has a fifty day moving average of $379.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $351.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The specialty chemicals company reported $3.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.56 by ($0.19). Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 11.09% and a return on equity of 74.45%. The firm had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.20 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were given a dividend of $0.715 per share. This represents a $2.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. Sherwin-Williams’s payout ratio is presently 28.49%.

Insider Activity at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, SVP Mary L. Garceau sold 15,770 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.92, for a total value of $6,275,198.40. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 29,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,621,253.60. The trade was a 35.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Gregory P. Sofish sold 2,565 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.63, for a total transaction of $971,185.95. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 6,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,396,349.27. This represents a 28.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on SHW. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $392.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Barclays raised their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $396.47.

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.