Analysts Set The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Target Price at $401.13

The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eighteen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $401.13.

SHW has been the subject of several research analyst 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 report on Monday, March 10th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada dropped 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, Berenberg Bank raised Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sherwin-Williams

In other news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total transaction of $1,008,479.70. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 5,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,933,009.50. The trade was a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sherwin-Williams

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SHW. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake 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. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Up 2.8 %

Sherwin-Williams stock opened at $349.35 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $353.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $363.63. Sherwin-Williams has a 52-week low of $282.09 and a 52-week high of $400.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $87.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.11, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 74.50% and a net margin of 11.61%. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.81 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Sherwin-Williams 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 paid a $0.79 dividend. 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. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.90%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.