Talbot Financial LLC Cuts Holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Talbot Financial LLC decreased its stake in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 31.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,176 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 1,460 shares during the quarter. Talbot Financial LLC's holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $1,109,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of SHW. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SHW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Sherwin-Williams from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $350.00 to $420.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $423.00 to $375.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $410.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $380.00 price objective (down previously from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $385.00 to $355.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $397.00.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:SHW traded down $3.13 on Thursday, hitting $359.09. 687,609 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,732,579. The firm's 50-day moving average is $345.75 and its 200 day moving average is $353.34. The company has a market capitalization of $89.99 billion, a PE ratio of 34.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.25. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 1-year low of $282.09 and a 1-year high of $400.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.79.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.02. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 74.50% and a net margin of 11.61%. The business 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 earned $2.17 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Sherwin-Williams's payout ratio is currently 29.87%.

Sherwin-Williams 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.