Strategic Financial Concepts LLC Makes New Investment in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 52,170 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $169,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of SHW. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 88.9% during the third quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter worth about $29,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter worth about $32,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 47.5% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 87 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Down 1.6 %

SHW stock opened at $344.54 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.46 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. The company’s 50 day moving average is $351.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $365.24. The stock has a market cap of $86.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.66, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.22.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share 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 EPS. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.92%. This is a boost from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on SHW. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com cut shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 28th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $400.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Mary L. Garceau sold 15,770 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.92, for a total transaction of $6,275,198.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 29,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,621,253.60. This trade represents a 35.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Sherwin-Williams 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.