Securian Asset Management Inc. Lowers Holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Securian Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 12,420 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 411 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $4,222,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 80.0% during the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 1,177 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $400,000 after acquiring an additional 523 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 1,818 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $694,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 52.6% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 6,680 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,271,000 after purchasing an additional 2,303 shares during the period. Burney Co. increased its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Burney Co. now owns 17,272 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $5,871,000 after purchasing an additional 766 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kerusso Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 75.9% in the 4th quarter. Kerusso Capital Management LLC now owns 10,290 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,498,000 after purchasing an additional 4,439 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now owns 5,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,933,009.50. This represents a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

SHW opened at $350.21 on Thursday. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a twelve month low of $282.09 and a twelve month high of $400.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $88.08 billion, a PE ratio of 33.20, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $353.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $365.85.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.02. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 74.50% and a net margin of 11.61%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.81 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This is an increase from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.90%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SHW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com lowered Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 28th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 target price on Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.