Benjamin Edwards Inc. Decreases Stock Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. lowered its holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,521 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 44 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $1,722,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SHW. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter worth $25,000. Union Savings Bank bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter worth about $28,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Lee Financial Co bought a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter valued at $32,000. 77.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Mary L. Garceau sold 23,518 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $322.66, for a total value of $7,588,317.88. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 28,475 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,187,743.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Todd D. Rea sold 2,449 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.54, for a total transaction of $767,859.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 9,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,925,014.66. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Mary L. Garceau sold 23,518 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $322.66, for a total transaction of $7,588,317.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 28,475 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,187,743.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 32,050 shares of company stock valued at $10,340,237. 0.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SHW has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Mizuho cut their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $340.00 to $334.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Finally, Northcoast Research raised Sherwin-Williams from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $360.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $341.39.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE SHW traded up $1.73 during trading on Thursday, reaching $305.07. 769,373 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,471,102. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a fifty-two week low of $221.76 and a fifty-two week high of $348.37. The firm has a market cap of $77.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $327.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $300.61.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $5.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 10.52% and a return on equity of 73.74%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.04 earnings per share. Analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.43 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.715 per share. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.49%.

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.