Sei Investments Co. Boosts Stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 13.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 135,631 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 16,502 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co. owned about 0.05% of Sherwin-Williams worth $46,107,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in SHW. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 18.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,482,662 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,474,238,000 after purchasing an additional 999,164 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth approximately $230,829,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 41,520.8% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 479,472 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $162,987,000 after acquiring an additional 478,320 shares during the period. Canoe Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 542.0% in the 4th quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 339,707 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $115,477,000 after acquiring an additional 286,791 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 47.5% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 864,558 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $293,889,000 after acquiring an additional 278,242 shares during the period. 77.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

NYSE SHW opened at $342.90 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 1-year low of $282.09 and a 1-year high of $400.42. The company has a market cap of $86.24 billion, a PE ratio of 32.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $354.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $364.49.

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

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.79 per share. This is an increase from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.92%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on SHW shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Zelman & Associates upgraded Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $380.00 price objective (down previously from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Monday, March 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $401.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total transaction of $1,008,479.70. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 5,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,933,009.50. The trade was a 34.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Sherwin-Williams Company 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.