Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) Upgraded to Buy by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on SHW. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $418.00 target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $365.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 30th. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $315.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sherwin-Williams currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $395.29.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE SHW opened at $361.59 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $91.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97. Sherwin-Williams has a 12-month low of $232.06 and a 12-month high of $392.57. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $371.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $334.64.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The specialty chemicals company reported $3.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.56 by ($0.19). The firm had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.20 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 74.45% and a net margin of 11.09%. The business’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.20 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Sherwin-Williams will post 11.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.715 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.79%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.49%.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, CFO Allen J. Mistysyn sold 14,520 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $366.83, for a total value of $5,326,371.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 63,520 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,301,041.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sherwin-Williams

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 102.3% in 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 in the last quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 136.4% during the 2nd quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 104 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC raised its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 233.3% in the 2nd quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 110 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake 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 worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Anfield Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

About Sherwin-Williams

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.