StockNews.com Downgrades Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) to Hold

StockNews.com lowered shares of Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $455.00 to $446.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. UBS Group restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $410.00 to $400.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $344.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $395.29.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

Sherwin-Williams stock opened at $357.97 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $372.36 and a 200-day moving average of $336.57. Sherwin-Williams has a 52-week low of $240.00 and a 52-week high of $392.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.65, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.18.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The specialty chemicals company reported $3.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.56 by ($0.19). The company had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.20 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 11.09% and a return on equity of 74.45%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.20 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Sherwin-Williams will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.715 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $2.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. Sherwin-Williams’s payout ratio is 28.49%.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, CFO Allen J. Mistysyn sold 14,520 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $366.83, for a total transaction of $5,326,371.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 63,520 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,301,041.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 88.9% in the third quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 47.5% in the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 87 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 102.3% during the 2nd quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 89 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

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.