The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Shares Sold by Baxter Bros Inc.

Baxter Bros Inc. lowered its holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 29,876 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 565 shares during the quarter. Sherwin-Williams accounts for about 1.3% of Baxter Bros Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Baxter Bros Inc.’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $9,318,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in SHW. First Hawaiian Bank grew its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 7,559 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,358,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Tsfg LLC grew its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 754 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $235,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 4,108 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,281,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC raised its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC now owns 848 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $263,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alpha Cubed Investments LLC lifted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 1,105 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $345,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

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

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

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Sherwin-Williams

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Justin T. Binns sold 1,563 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $338.87, for a total transaction of $529,653.81. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 14,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,935,302.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, SVP Mary L. Garceau sold 23,518 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 28,475 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,187,743.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Justin T. Binns sold 1,563 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $338.87, for a total value of $529,653.81. Following the sale, the insider now owns 14,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,935,302.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 32,050 shares of company stock worth $10,340,237 in the last quarter. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SHW has been the subject of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $377.00 price target (down previously from $385.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $340.00 to $334.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Northcoast Research raised shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $360.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sherwin-Williams has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $341.39.

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.