Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Acquires 8,364 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 17.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 55,259 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,364 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $17,235,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. First United Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Lee Financial Co bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter worth $32,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 158.5% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 106 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $380.00 to $370.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com lowered Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Northcoast Research raised Sherwin-Williams from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $360.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $390.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $344.41.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

NYSE SHW traded up $1.75 on Friday, reaching $304.84. 1,011,191 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,549,539. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.29 billion, a PE ratio of 32.50, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a one year low of $223.28 and a one year high of $348.37. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $320.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $308.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by ($0.05). Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 10.52% and a return on equity of 73.74%. The firm had revenue of $5.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.04 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a $0.715 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.49%.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Justin T. Binns sold 1,563 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $338.87, for a total transaction of $529,653.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 14,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,935,302.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Justin T. Binns sold 1,563 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $338.87, for a total value of $529,653.81. Following the sale, the insider now owns 14,564 shares in the company, valued at $4,935,302.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Mary L. Garceau sold 23,518 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $322.66, for a total transaction of $7,588,317.88. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 28,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,187,743.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 27,771 shares of company stock valued at $8,985,497. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.