Rathbones Group PLC Decreases Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Key Points

• Rathbones Group PLC reduced its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 0.5%, holding approximately 0.11% of the company valued at about $93.1 million after selling 1,307 shares in the first quarter.
• Recent earnings showed Sherwin-Williams reported EPS of $3.38, missing analysts' expectations, while revenue was consistent at $6.31 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.79 per share, with an annualized dividend yield of 0.9%, to be paid on September 5th.

Rathbones Group PLC reduced its position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 0.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 266,643 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 1,307 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLC owned about 0.11% of Sherwin-Williams worth $93,109,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Perkins Coie Trust Co purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 583.3% in the first quarter. Synergy Investment Management LLC now owns 82 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the first quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the first quarter valued at $46,000. 77.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO James P. Lang sold 860 shares of the firm's 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. This trade represents a 69.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

SHW stock traded down $1.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $364.18. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,785,134 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,253,146. The stock has a market cap of $90.80 billion, a PE ratio of 36.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a fifty-two week low of $308.84 and a fifty-two week high of $400.42. The company's 50 day moving average is $346.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $348.00.

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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.31 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 11.03% and a return on equity of 66.91%. The firm's revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.70 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued 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 research firms have commented on SHW. Bank of America raised shares of Sherwin-Williams from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price target for the company from $296.00 to $375.00 in a report on Thursday. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $385.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $405.00 to $391.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $385.00 to $375.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $410.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sherwin-Williams has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.