Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) Receives Hold Rating from Jefferies Financial Group

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW)‘s stock had its “hold” rating reissued by equities research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group in a report issued on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports. They presently have a $380.00 price objective on the specialty chemicals company’s stock, down from their prior price objective of $423.00. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price suggests a potential upside of 4.40% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Zelman & Associates upgraded Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $423.00 price objective (up previously from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $401.13.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

SHW stock opened at $363.99 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $352.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $365.99. Sherwin-Williams has a 12-month low of $282.09 and a 12-month high of $400.42. The company has a market capitalization of $91.55 billion, a PE ratio of 34.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last issued its quarterly 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 last year, the firm earned $1.81 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Sherwin-Williams will post 12 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares in the company, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Sherwin-Williams

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth $913,000. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH increased its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 8,929 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,025,000 after acquiring an additional 406 shares during the period. Cim LLC lifted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Cim LLC now owns 7,328 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,491,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Menard Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $101,000. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.