Franklin Resources Inc. Purchases 1,326,619 Shares of PPG Industries, Inc. $PPG

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in PPG Industries, Inc. (NYSE:PPG) by 39.4% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 4,695,477 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,326,619 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in PPG Industries were worth $493,542,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new position in shares of PPG Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in PPG Industries during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in PPG Industries by 100.7% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 273 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its position in shares of PPG Industries by 184.0% in the second quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 284 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the period. Finally, Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of PPG Industries in the third quarter valued at approximately $57,000. 81.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

PPG Industries Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:PPG opened at $104.04 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $23.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.99, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.15. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $116.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.66. PPG Industries, Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.24 and a 12 month high of $133.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82.

PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by ($0.06). PPG Industries had a net margin of 9.93% and a return on equity of 22.30%. The business had revenue of $3.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.77 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.61 earnings per share. PPG Industries’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. PPG Industries has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.700-8.100 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that PPG Industries, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PPG Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. PPG Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.92%.

Insider Transactions at PPG Industries

In other PPG Industries news, CFO Vincent J. Morales sold 78,095 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total value of $10,230,445.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Chancey E. Hagerty sold 2,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.59, for a total transaction of $260,077.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 8,477 shares in the company, valued at $979,856.43. This trade represents a 20.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 118,811 shares of company stock worth $15,219,371. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on PPG. Mizuho boosted their price objective on PPG Industries from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of PPG Industries in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on PPG Industries from $118.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of PPG Industries from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on PPG Industries from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.93.

About PPG Industries

PPG Industries is a global supplier of paints, coatings and specialty materials that serves industrial, transportation, consumer and construction markets. Founded in 1883 as the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, PPG has evolved from its origins in glass manufacturing into a diversified coatings and materials company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company develops and manufactures a broad array of products used to protect and enhance surfaces, from consumer paints to highly engineered coatings for demanding industrial applications.

PPG’s product portfolio includes architectural and decorative paints, automotive original equipment and refinish coatings, industrial coatings for machinery and equipment, protective and marine coatings, aerospace and defense coatings, and packaging coatings and materials.