PFG Investments LLC Increases Stock Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

PFG Investments LLC increased its position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 15.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,335 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the quarter. PFG Investments LLC’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $416,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 47,568 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $12,132,000 after acquiring an additional 6,639 shares during the last quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth $38,444,000. Machina Capital S.A.S. raised its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 149.0% during the third quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S. now owns 9,695 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,473,000 after purchasing an additional 5,801 shares during the period. Pearl River Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter worth $4,517,000. Finally, Comerica Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the second quarter worth $27,192,000. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Justin T. Binns sold 1,563 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $338.87, for a total value of $529,653.81. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 14,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,935,302.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Justin T. Binns sold 1,563 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $338.87, for a total value of $529,653.81. Following the sale, the insider now owns 14,564 shares in the company, valued at $4,935,302.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Karl J. Jorgenrud sold 2,690 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.50, for a total transaction of $867,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 12,941 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,173,472.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 32,050 shares of company stock valued at $10,340,237 over the last 90 days. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

NYSE:SHW opened at $346.95 on Thursday. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a twelve month low of $210.92 and a twelve month high of $347.71. The company has a 50-day moving average of $321.19 and a 200-day moving average of $289.39. The firm has a market cap of $88.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.23 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 10.36% and a return on equity of 74.72%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.89 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were given a $0.715 dividend. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SHW has been the topic of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $295.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 14th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $352.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com raised shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 8th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $312.00 to $402.00 in a report on Thursday, March 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $320.39.

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.