Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 138,170 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,836,648 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 138,170 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 8.67% of Sherwin-Williams worth $7,422,932,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Apella Capital LLC boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $498,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,742 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,272,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. IMS Capital Management boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. IMS Capital Management now owns 1,287 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $437,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 7,428 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,835,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value of $1,008,479.70. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

SHW stock opened at $334.38 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $353.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $364.61. 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 cap of $84.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.69, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released its 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 return on equity of 74.50% and a net margin of 11.61%. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.81 EPS. Analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The firm 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. This is a positive change 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 0.95%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on SHW shares. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $423.00 price target (up from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Mizuho dropped their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Berenberg Bank raised Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $321.00 to $420.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $380.00 price objective (down from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Monday, March 10th. One research 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average 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.