DF Dent & Co. Inc. Buys 20,016 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

DF Dent & Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 15.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 147,670 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,016 shares during the period. DF Dent & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $50,198,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $350,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Apella Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $498,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,742 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,272,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. IMS Capital Management grew its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. IMS Capital Management now owns 1,287 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $437,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its position in Sherwin-Williams by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 438 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $149,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value of $1,008,479.70. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,933,009.50. This represents a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SHW has been the subject of several research reports. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $423.00 price target (up previously from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Mizuho decreased their price objective 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $380.00 target price (down previously from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Monday, March 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $400.19.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Up 0.9 %

SHW stock opened at $353.72 on Thursday. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 12 month low of $282.09 and a 12 month high of $400.42. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $353.21 and its 200 day moving average is $363.39. The company has a market capitalization of $88.96 billion, a PE ratio of 33.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.46.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last issued 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 quarter last year, the firm earned $1.81 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. This is a boost from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.95%.

Sherwin-Williams Company Profile

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.