Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Sells 118,387 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lessened its position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,058,785 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 118,387 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned about 0.82% of Sherwin-Williams worth $699,843,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

Shares of SHW stock opened at $353.72 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $353.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $363.39. The company has a market cap of $88.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. 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 Sherwin-Williams Company has a twelve month low of $282.09 and a twelve month high of $400.42.

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, 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 posted $1.81 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. This is a boost from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.95%.

Insider Activity at Sherwin-Williams

In other Sherwin-Williams 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 value of $1,008,479.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SHW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $423.00 target price (up previously from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. 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, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $400.19.

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.