Harbor Investment Advisory LLC Boosts Stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 39.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,523 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 708 shares during the quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC's holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $881,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in SHW. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE SHW traded down $4.48 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $357.74. 1,413,204 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,735,394. The company has a market cap of $89.65 billion, a PE ratio of 33.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.25. 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 Sherwin-Williams Company has a twelve month low of $282.09 and a twelve month high of $400.42. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $345.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $353.34.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $5.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 company earned $2.17 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. Sherwin-Williams's payout ratio is 29.87%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on SHW. Mizuho set a $395.00 price objective on Sherwin-Williams in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $423.00 to $375.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $405.00 to $385.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $430.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $380.00 price target (down from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $397.00.

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.