The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Shares Sold by Sustainable Growth Advisers LP

Sustainable Growth Advisers LP lowered its holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 12.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 610 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 86 shares during the period. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $207,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 13.8% in the fourth quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 16,515 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $5,614,000 after purchasing an additional 2,005 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 171,071 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $58,152,000 after purchasing an additional 2,940 shares in the last quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 58,254 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $19,734,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 113,945 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $38,897,000 after acquiring an additional 6,082 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Achmea Investment Management B.V. increased its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 19,169 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $6,516,000 after acquiring an additional 935 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Down 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE:SHW opened at $341.91 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $85.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $353.74 and its 200-day moving average is $365.68. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52-week low of $282.09 and a 52-week high of $400.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.79.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.02. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 74.50% and a net margin of 11.61%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This is a boost from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.95%.

Insider Activity at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the 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 owns 5,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,933,009.50. This trade represents a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SHW has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $423.00 price target (up from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $401.13.

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.