Advisors Asset Management Inc. Sells 1,561 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Advisors Asset Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 9.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,573 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 1,561 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $5,294,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. RD Lewis Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at $423,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at about $212,000. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at about $277,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 5,412 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,840,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 29,929 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $10,174,000 after acquiring an additional 511 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of Sherwin-Williams stock opened at $334.56 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52-week low of $282.09 and a 52-week high of $400.42. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $353.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $365.04.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 in the previous year, the company posted $1.81 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.94%. This is an increase from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sherwin-Williams

In other news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value of $1,008,479.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,933,009.50. This trade represents a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 target price on Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $423.00 price objective (up from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $401.13.

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.