Braun Stacey Associates Inc. Boosts Holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Braun Stacey Associates Inc. increased its position in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 46.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,310 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 2,310 shares during the period. Braun Stacey Associates Inc.'s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $2,553,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Seascape Capital Management boosted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 0.5% during the first quarter. Seascape Capital Management now owns 11,535 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $4,028,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors raised its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 40.8% in the first quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 2,332 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $814,000 after buying an additional 676 shares during the last quarter. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the first quarter valued at about $80,000. Eukles Asset Management raised its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 2.7% in the first quarter. Eukles Asset Management now owns 12,678 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $4,427,000 after buying an additional 328 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 3.8% in the first quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,925 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $672,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of SHW traded down $2.36 during trading on Friday, reaching $350.16. 1,088,732 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,718,639. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a twelve month low of $296.40 and a twelve month high of $400.42. The stock has a market cap of $87.75 billion, a PE ratio of 33.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $351.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $347.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.02. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 11.63% and a return on equity of 71.86%. The business had revenue of $5.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.42 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.17 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Sherwin-Williams's payout ratio is 29.87%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on SHW shares. Citigroup cut shares of Sherwin-Williams from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $405.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Friday, June 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the company from $350.00 to $420.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $289.00 to $296.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $430.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Mizuho set a $395.00 target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $391.31.

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.