Catalyst Financial Partners LLC Boosts Stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Catalyst Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 6.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 827 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $281,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 135.6% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 238 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $91,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. Creative Planning boosted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 11.6% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 45,997 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $17,556,000 after buying an additional 4,770 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $696,000. Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 11,215 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $4,281,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 31,209 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $11,912,000 after buying an additional 602 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Gregory P. Sofish sold 2,565 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.63, for a total transaction of $971,185.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 6,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,396,349.27. This represents a 28.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Mary L. Garceau sold 15,770 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.92, for a total transaction of $6,275,198.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 29,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,621,253.60. This trade represents a 35.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

Shares of SHW opened at $356.93 on Friday. 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 stock has a market cap of $89.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.83, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a 50-day moving average of $353.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $365.09. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 12-month low of $282.09 and a 12-month high of $400.42.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.81 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on SHW shares. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 28th. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective 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. Finally, UBS Group reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Friday, October 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $400.00.

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.