Masterton Capital Management LP Invests $7 Million in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Masterton Capital Management LP bought a new position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 20,600 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $7,003,000. Sherwin-Williams accounts for about 4.0% of Masterton Capital Management LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 41.7% during the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 119 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value of $1,008,479.70. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,933,009.50. The trade was a 34.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:SHW traded up $6.10 during trading on Friday, hitting $359.74. The company had a trading volume of 1,398,615 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,768,047. The stock has a market cap of $90.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $342.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $356.52. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a one year low of $282.09 and a one year high of $400.42.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.23 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $5.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.42 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 11.61% and a return on equity of 74.50%. Sherwin-Williams's quarterly revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.17 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on SHW shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $410.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $380.00 price objective (down previously from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Mizuho set a $395.00 target price on Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $397.00.

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.