The Sherwin-Williams Company (SHW) – What Are Investment Firms Saying About This Stock?

Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-seven ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fifteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $377.29.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on SHW shares. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 target price (down from $400.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Mizuho set a $396.00 price objective on Sherwin-Williams and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $415.00 price objective (up from $390.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, October 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Monday, September 28th.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Bryan J. Young sold 1,314 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.71, for a total value of $454,262.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 10,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,472,656.95. This represents a 11.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO James P. Lang sold 1,309 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.91, for a total value of $473,740.19. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $311,604.51. This trade represents a 60.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 22,315 shares of company stock valued at $7,848,071. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Sherwin-Williams

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of SHW. Eastern Bank increased its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 50.8% during the second quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 89 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Jacobi Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 1.0% in the third quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 3,156 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,020,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. lifted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 1.0% in the third quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 3,068 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $992,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 4.0% in the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 812 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $263,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heartland Bank & Trust Co grew its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co now owns 1,174 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $376,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

Shares of SHW traded down $1.50 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $349.89. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,005,058 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,102,622. Sherwin-Williams has a one year low of $289.86 and a one year high of $377.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.53 billion, a PE ratio of 32.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $331.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $333.13.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The specialty chemicals company reported $3.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.69 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.78 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 69.51% and a net margin of 10.74%. The company’s revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.59 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Sherwin-Williams will post 12.02 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 4th. Investors of record on Friday, November 13th will be given a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 13th. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is 29.41%.

About Sherwin-Williams

The Sherwin-Williams Company is a global manufacturer, retailer and distributor of paints and coatings. Founded in 1866 and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, the company serves customers through company-operated paint stores, home improvement retailers, distributors and other channels. Its products include paints, stains and related supplies for homes and commercial buildings, as well as coatings for industrial, automotive, protective and marine applications. The company markets products under brands including Sherwin-Williams and Valspar.