The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Shares Bought by Magnetar Financial LLC

Magnetar Financial LLC lifted its holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 13.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,556 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,975 shares during the period. Magnetar Financial LLC’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $5,628,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in SHW. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1.0% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,047,174 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $399,675,000 after acquiring an additional 10,709 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,239 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,000,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. LMR Partners LLP acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 3rd quarter valued at $314,000. Caprock Group LLC grew its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 6,315 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,410,000 after purchasing an additional 497 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,454 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,318,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on SHW shares. Mizuho lowered 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. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $380.00 price target (down from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Monday, March 10th. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $423.00 price objective (up from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $401.13.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Down 0.3 %

Sherwin-Williams stock opened at $334.56 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $353.91 and its 200-day moving average is $365.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.79. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 1 year low of $282.09 and a 1 year high of $400.42. The company has a market cap of $84.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.71, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 11.61% and a return on equity of 74.50%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.81 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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 29.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 sale, the insider now owns 5,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,933,009.50. This trade represents a 34.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

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.