Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Boosts Stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund increased its position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 123.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,822 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,772 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund's holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $2,382,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Voleon Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,011,000. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 18.4% in the 1st quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 882 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $308,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 6,031 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,050,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 25.0% in the 1st quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,006 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $352,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clark Capital Management Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 1,494 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $508,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SHW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $405.00 to $385.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Mizuho set a $395.00 price target on Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Citigroup cut Sherwin-Williams from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $405.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Friday, June 13th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $430.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and issued a $380.00 price target (down previously from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sherwin-Williams presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $397.67.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

NYSE SHW opened at $332.89 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. The business's 50 day moving average is $348.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $349.46. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 12-month low of $292.27 and a 12-month high of $400.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.46, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.21.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.23 by $0.02. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 71.86% and a net margin of 11.63%. The company had revenue of $5.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.17 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.87%.

Sherwin-Williams Company 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.

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