PPG Industries, Inc. $PPG Shares Bought by Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co

Key Points

• Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co raised its PPG stake by 9.0%, buying 11,100 more shares to hold 134,286 shares worth about $13.76 million at quarter-end.
• PPG beat first-quarter estimates, reporting EPS of $1.83 vs. $1.78 expected and revenue of $3.93B vs. $3.85B, and set FY2026 guidance of $7.70–$8.10 EPS (analysts' consensus ~7.9).
• Company insiders sold 111,361 shares (~$14.39M) in the past three months, including the CFO's 78,095-share sale, while PPG announced a quarterly dividend of $0.71 per share (annualized $2.84, ~2.7% yield; ex-dividend May 11).

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its stake in shares of PPG Industries, Inc. (NYSE:PPG - Free Report) by 9.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 134,286 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 11,100 shares during the period. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co owned about 0.06% of PPG Industries worth $13,759,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Whittier Trust Co. raised its stake in PPG Industries by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 6,658 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $703,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Applied Capital LLC FL raised its stake in PPG Industries by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Applied Capital LLC FL now owns 6,406 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $656,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in PPG Industries by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,313 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $544,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in PPG Industries by 6.6% in the 2nd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,576 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $179,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Waller Financial Planning Group Inc. raised its stake in PPG Industries by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Waller Financial Planning Group Inc. now owns 12,764 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,308,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 81.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PPG Industries Stock Down 3.0%

Shares of PPG opened at $104.23 on Tuesday. PPG Industries, Inc. has a 52-week low of $93.39 and a 52-week high of $133.43. The company has a market capitalization of $23.23 billion, a PE ratio of 14.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.06. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $109.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $107.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.05. PPG Industries had a return on equity of 21.68% and a net margin of 9.83%.The business had revenue of $3.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.85 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.72 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. PPG Industries has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.700-8.100 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that PPG Industries, Inc. will post 7.9 EPS for the current year.

PPG Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be given a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. PPG Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Evercore increased their price objective on PPG Industries from $112.00 to $128.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on PPG Industries from $120.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Bank of America cut their target price on PPG Industries from $118.00 to $116.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Citigroup raised their target price on PPG Industries from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on PPG Industries from $126.00 to $125.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $121.79.

Insider Transactions at PPG Industries

In related news, CFO Vincent J. Morales sold 78,095 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total transaction of $10,230,445.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Anne M. Foulkes sold 3,594 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.61, for a total value of $447,848.34. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 15,641 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,949,025.01. The trade was a 18.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 111,361 shares of company stock valued at $14,387,293 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

About PPG Industries

PPG Industries is a global supplier of paints, coatings and specialty materials that serves industrial, transportation, consumer and construction markets. Founded in 1883 as the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, PPG has evolved from its origins in glass manufacturing into a diversified coatings and materials company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company develops and manufactures a broad array of products used to protect and enhance surfaces, from consumer paints to highly engineered coatings for demanding industrial applications.

PPG's product portfolio includes architectural and decorative paints, automotive original equipment and refinish coatings, industrial coatings for machinery and equipment, protective and marine coatings, aerospace and defense coatings, and packaging coatings and materials.

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