The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Holdings Increased by Blueshift Asset Management LLC

Blueshift Asset Management LLC increased its stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 14.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,064 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Blueshift Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $362,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 1,000.0% during 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 period. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its position in Sherwin-Williams by 41.7% in the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 119 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

SHW stock opened at $334.38 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $353.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $364.59. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52 week low of $282.09 and a 52 week high of $400.42. The stock has a market cap of $84.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. 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 earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 last year, the company posted $1.81 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. This is an increase from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SHW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $380.00 price objective (down previously from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $423.00 price objective (up previously from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given 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.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,933,009.50. This represents a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.