Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co Purchases 14,800 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its position in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 91.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 31,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,800 shares during the period. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $10,538,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1.0% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,047,174 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $399,675,000 after acquiring an additional 10,709 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 2,266 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $865,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. SageView Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter worth about $297,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Sherwin-Williams by 358.1% during the third quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,848 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $6,812,000 after buying an additional 13,952 shares during the period. Finally, iA Global Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 126.1% during the third quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 85,330 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $32,568,000 after buying an additional 47,589 shares during the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on SHW shares. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Berenberg Bank raised Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $380.00 price target (down previously from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Zelman & Associates upgraded Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $398.94.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

NYSE:SHW opened at $331.91 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $352.24 and a 200 day moving average of $362.80. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52-week low of $282.09 and a 52-week high of $400.42.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarter last year, the business earned $1.81 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. This is a boost from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.95%.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the firm’s 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 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. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.