The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Shares Bought by Aviva PLC

Aviva PLC lifted its stake in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 100.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 166,766 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 83,539 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC owned approximately 0.07% of Sherwin-Williams worth $56,689,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 41.7% during the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 119 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sherwin-Williams

In other news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now owns 5,365 shares in the company, valued at $1,933,009.50. This trade represents a 34.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Down 2.6 %

SHW stock opened at $331.91 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.48 billion, a PE ratio of 31.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a fifty day moving average of $352.24 and a 200-day moving average of $362.80. 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 Sherwin-Williams Company has a one year low of $282.09 and a one year high of $400.42.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $1.81 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.79 dividend. This is a boost from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays decreased their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $385.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $380.00 target price (down from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $423.00 price target (up from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sherwin-Williams presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $398.94.

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.