Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Cuts Stock Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC cut its holdings in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 5.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 168,131 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 9,305 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Sherwin-Williams worth $64,171,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in SHW. Tamar Securities LLC raised its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Tamar Securities LLC now owns 48,753 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $18,608,000 after purchasing an additional 1,604 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 7.9% during the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,636 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $787,000 after buying an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 24.1% during the 2nd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 7,805 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,329,000 after buying an additional 1,514 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 4.3% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 98,118 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $37,449,000 after buying an additional 4,074 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 11.6% in the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 4,331 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,504,000 after buying an additional 449 shares in the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SHW opened at $388.36 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 12 month low of $232.06 and a 12 month high of $392.57. The company has a market capitalization of $97.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.59, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.17. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $370.58 and its 200 day moving average is $333.88.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $3.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.51 by $0.19. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 75.58% and a net margin of 10.92%. The firm had revenue of $6.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.29 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.5 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.715 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $2.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.15%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Allen J. Mistysyn sold 14,520 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $366.83, for a total transaction of $5,326,371.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 63,520 shares in the company, valued at $23,301,041.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on SHW shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 28th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $365.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. UBS Group restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sherwin-Williams currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $383.35.

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.