Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Cuts Stock Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lessened its stake in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,698 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 826 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $4,316,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 80.0% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 1,177 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 523 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its stake in 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 valued at $2,271,000 after purchasing an additional 2,303 shares in the last quarter. Burney Co. raised its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Burney Co. now owns 17,272 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $5,871,000 after buying an additional 766 shares during the last quarter. Kerusso Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 75.9% in the fourth quarter. Kerusso Capital Management LLC now owns 10,290 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $3,498,000 after buying an additional 4,439 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB grew its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 4.2% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 117,055 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $44,676,000 after buying an additional 4,681 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

Shares of SHW opened at $334.56 on Thursday. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52 week low of $282.09 and a 52 week high of $400.42. 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 stock has a market cap of $84.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.71, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $353.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $365.04.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 EPS 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 in the previous year, the business posted $1.81 EPS. On average, analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total transaction of $1,008,479.70. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 5,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SHW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price target on Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, January 31st. 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 research report on Monday, March 10th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $401.13.

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.