Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in The Sherwin-Williams Company $SHW

Key Points

• Ceredex Value Advisors acquired a new stake of 87,112 shares in The Sherwin‑Williams Company during Q3, valued at about $30.16 million according to the firm's latest 13F filing.
• Company insiders have trimmed positions recently — SVP Bryan J. Young sold 2,513 shares and Colin M. Davie sold 2,976 shares — leaving insiders with roughly 0.60% ownership.
• Sherwin‑Williams beat quarterly earnings (EPS $2.23 vs. $2.16) with revenue of $5.60B, raised its quarterly dividend to $0.80 ($3.20 annual, 1.0% yield), and holds a consensus "Moderate Buy" price target of $388.21.

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 87,112 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $30,163,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MTM Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 104.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 86 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Rossby Financial LCC raised its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 96.0% during the 3rd quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 98 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 129.8% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 108 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, SVP Bryan J. Young sold 2,513 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $364.47, for a total value of $915,913.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 10,045 shares in the company, valued at $3,661,101.15. The trade was a 20.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,976 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $359.50, for a total value of $1,069,872.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,365 shares in the company, valued at $1,928,717.50. This trade represents a 35.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on SHW shares. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $390.00 target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Vertical Research upgraded Sherwin-Williams from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $371.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Zacks Research lowered Sherwin-Williams from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Sherwin-Williams from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $380.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, UBS Group set a $420.00 target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, January 30th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $388.21.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SHW opened at $333.36 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.87. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $352.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $345.51. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a fifty-two week low of $308.84 and a fifty-two week high of $379.65. The company has a market capitalization of $82.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.25.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.57 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 65.26% and a net margin of 10.90%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.09 EPS. Analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams's previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Sherwin-Williams's payout ratio is currently 31.16%.

About Sherwin-Williams

Sherwin-Williams NYSE: SHW is a global manufacturer and distributor of paints, coatings and related products. Founded in 1866 and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, the company supplies a broad range of coatings for residential, commercial and industrial applications. Its product offering includes architectural paints and stains, industrial and protective coatings, automotive finishes, and a variety of sundry products such as primers, sealants and specialty treatments used by professionals and consumers.

The company sells through multiple channels, including a large network of company-operated retail paint stores that serve professional contractors and do-it-yourself consumers, as well as through distributors and mass retailers.

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