Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Increases Stock Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Key Points

• Mediolanum International Funds Ltd has increased its stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company by 19.2%, now owning 100,089 shares valued at approximately $34 million.
• Analysts have adjusted their price targets for Sherwin-Williams, with the average target now at $383.33, indicating mixed sentiment on the stock with one sell rating and multiple buy ratings.
• Sherwin-Williams announced a quarterly dividend of $0.79 per share, reflecting a dividend yield of 0.93% and a payout ratio of 31.35%.

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd grew its stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 19.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 100,089 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,107 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd's holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $34,005,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 73.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,545 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $525,000 after acquiring an additional 655 shares during the period. Modern Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 70.5% during the fourth quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 895 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $322,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Sherwin-Williams by 28.6% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,032,170 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $690,796,000 after buying an additional 451,505 shares during the last quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC increased its position in Sherwin-Williams by 35.2% in the fourth quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 13,536 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $4,601,000 after buying an additional 3,527 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blair William & Co. IL increased its position in Sherwin-Williams by 9.6% in the fourth quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 42,662 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $14,502,000 after buying an additional 3,740 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.67% of the company's stock.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SHW traded down $1.73 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $335.24. The stock had a trading volume of 484,594 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,750,933. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $347.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $348.22. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 1 year low of $308.84 and a 1 year high of $400.42. The company has a market capitalization of $83.59 billion, a PE ratio of 33.28, a P/E/G ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.18.

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 company had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.31 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 66.91% and a net margin of 11.03%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.70 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 given a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.35%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on SHW. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $405.00 to $385.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target 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. UBS Group reduced their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $410.00 to $395.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Bank of America lifted their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $289.00 to $296.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $405.00 to $391.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $383.33.

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.