The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Shares Purchased by Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 22.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,989 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 540 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $1,016,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in SHW. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1,000.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 99 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its position in Sherwin-Williams by 41.7% during the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 119 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on SHW shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price target on Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Zelman & Associates upgraded Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Berenberg Bank raised Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $401.13.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total transaction of $1,008,479.70. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares in the company, valued at $1,933,009.50. This represents a 34.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

SHW opened at $334.56 on Thursday. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a twelve month low of $282.09 and a twelve month high of $400.42. The firm has a market cap of $84.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.71, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $353.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $365.04.

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

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.94%. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.95%.

About Sherwin-Williams

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.