Blueshift Asset Management LLC Raises Stock Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 14.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,064 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Blueshift Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $362,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake 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 during the period. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 41.7% in 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 in the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

Shares of SHW stock opened at $334.38 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $84.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.69, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The business has a 50 day moving average of $353.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $364.59. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52 week low of $282.09 and a 52 week high of $400.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.02. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 74.50% and a net margin of 11.61%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.81 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SHW has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $380.00 target price (down from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $401.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sherwin-Williams

In other news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $1,933,009.50. The trade was a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.60% of the stock is currently 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.