Howe & Rusling Inc. Lowers Stock Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Howe & Rusling Inc. decreased its holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,174 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 39 shares during the quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc.’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $399,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 80.0% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 1,177 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $400,000 after buying an additional 523 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 2,303 shares during the last quarter. Burney Co. lifted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Burney Co. now owns 17,272 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $5,871,000 after acquiring an additional 766 shares during the period. Kerusso Capital Management LLC grew 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 last quarter. Finally, Canoe Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 542.0% in the fourth quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 339,707 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $115,477,000 after purchasing an additional 286,791 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on SHW. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price target on Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Berenberg Bank raised 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $401.13.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of Sherwin-Williams 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 position. 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.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:SHW opened at $345.45 on Friday. 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 fifty day simple moving average of $353.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $364.08. The company has a market capitalization of $86.88 billion, a PE ratio of 32.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share (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 company earned $1.81 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.95%.

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.