National Pension Service Has $254.35 Million Stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Key Points

• The National Pension Service increased its position in The Sherwin-Williams Company by 12.5% in the first quarter, owning 728,403 shares worth approximately $254.35 million.
• Several hedge funds have also adjusted their stakes in Sherwin-Williams, with institutional investors owning 77.67% of the company’s stock.
• Analyst ratings for Sherwin-Williams show a consensus of "Moderate Buy" with a price target averaging around $383.33, indicating positive outlook among investment analysts.

National Pension Service boosted its position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 12.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 728,403 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 80,783 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned about 0.29% of Sherwin-Williams worth $254,351,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of SHW. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 73.6% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,545 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $525,000 after purchasing an additional 655 shares during the last quarter. Keystone Financial Group bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at about $362,000. Trustmark National Bank Trust Department bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at about $369,000. Mariner LLC raised its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 16.3% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 192,629 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $65,480,000 after buying an additional 27,053 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CreativeOne Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 15.5% during the 4th quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 11,546 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $3,925,000 after buying an additional 1,547 shares in the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

NYSE:SHW traded down $1.39 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $364.18. The stock had a trading volume of 1,785,134 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,797,848. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 1-year low of $308.84 and a 1-year high of $400.42. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $345.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $348.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.13, a PEG ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 1.16.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.31 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 66.91% and a net margin of 11.03%. Sherwin-Williams's revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.70 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Sherwin-Williams

In other news, CAO James P. Lang sold 860 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.35, for a total transaction of $301,301.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 377 shares in the company, valued at $132,081.95. The trade was a 69.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on SHW. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $405.00 to $385.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $410.00 to $395.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $410.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $385.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Sherwin-Williams from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $296.00 to $375.00 in a research note on Thursday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $388.60.

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.