Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Decreases Stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. lowered its position in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,823 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 93 shares during the quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $2,752,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter worth $25,000. Lee Financial Co purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on SHW. Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. StockNews.com downgraded Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Loop Capital cut their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $395.00 to $380.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $341.39.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

SHW stock traded up $6.84 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $311.30. The company had a trading volume of 2,027,799 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,681,363. The company has a market capitalization of $78.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 1 year low of $221.76 and a 1 year high of $348.37. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $327.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $301.05.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last announced 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). Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 73.74% and a net margin of 10.52%. The company had revenue of $5.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.50 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.04 earnings per share. Sherwin-Williams’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a $0.715 dividend. This represents a $2.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.49%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Todd D. Rea sold 2,449 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.54, for a total transaction of $767,859.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,329 shares in the company, valued at $2,925,014.66. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Justin T. Binns sold 1,563 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $338.87, for a total value of $529,653.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 14,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,935,302.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Todd D. Rea sold 2,449 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.54, for a total value of $767,859.46. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,925,014.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 32,050 shares of company stock worth $10,340,237. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams 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.