Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Increases Stock Holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management increased its holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company by 9.9%, acquiring an additional 64,769 shares, bringing total ownership to 718,317 shares valued at approximately $250.83 million.
• The Sherwin-Williams Company reported earnings per share (EPS) of $3.38 for the last quarter, missing analysts' expectations of $3.76.
• A quarterly dividend of $0.79 per share will be paid on September 5th, with a dividend yield of 0.9% and a payout ratio of 31.35%.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 9.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 718,317 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 64,769 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.29% of Sherwin-Williams worth $250,829,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,030,507 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $359,843,000 after acquiring an additional 17,540 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 4.4% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,536,398 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $536,495,000 after purchasing an additional 64,325 shares during the last quarter. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 1st quarter worth approximately $13,954,000. Cornerstone Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 97.1% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Advisors LLC now owns 13,800 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $4,819,000 after purchasing an additional 6,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jensen Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 8.9% in the 1st quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc. now owns 581,472 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $203,044,000 after buying an additional 47,410 shares in the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Down 0.4%

SHW opened at $350.83 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $87.47 billion, a PE ratio of 34.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.78. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 1 year low of $308.84 and a 1 year high of $400.42. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $345.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $348.05.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The specialty chemicals company reported $3.38 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.76 by ($0.38). Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 11.03% and a return on equity of 66.91%. The business had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.70 EPS. The business's revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $410.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $420.00 to $400.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $405.00 to $385.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $390.00 to $378.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $395.00 to $380.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $383.33.

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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