Applied Finance Capital Management LLC Has $23.18 Million Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Applied Finance Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 68,201 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 3,062 shares during the period. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $23,184,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of SHW. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 41.7% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 119 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the insider now owns 5,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,933,009.50. The trade was a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Zelman & Associates upgraded Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays reduced their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $385.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $398.19.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

NYSE SHW opened at $323.32 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $351.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $362.31. 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 current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.26.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. This is an increase from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Sherwin-Williams’s payout ratio is currently 29.95%.

Sherwin-Williams 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.