Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Reduces Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd trimmed its stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,473 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 215 shares during the period. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $6,279,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of SHW. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 18.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,482,662 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,474,238,000 after acquiring an additional 999,164 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,733,131 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,799,196,000 after acquiring an additional 58,463 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,724,746 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $586,293,000 after acquiring an additional 187,724 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,421,090 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $542,387,000 after buying an additional 15,843 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 5.8% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,412,722 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $542,711,000 after buying an additional 78,075 shares in the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Up 1.9 %

Sherwin-Williams stock opened at $359.62 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $350.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $365.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 1-year low of $282.09 and a 1-year high of $400.42.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $1.81 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. This is a boost from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Sherwin-Williams’s payout ratio is presently 29.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $423.00 price target (up from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sherwin-Williams has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $400.76.

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.