Cozad Asset Management Inc. Reduces Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Key Points

• Cozad Asset Management Inc. cut its position in Sherwin-Williams by 26.8%, now holding 8,549 shares valued at approximately $2.985 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Capital Research Global Investors, significantly increased their stakes in Sherwin-Williams, contributing to institutional ownership of 77.67% of the company.
• Analysts have mixed views on Sherwin-Williams, with price targets ranging from $296 to $420 and an average rating of "Moderate Buy" despite recent earnings misses.

Cozad Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 26.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,549 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 3,125 shares during the quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $2,985,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 1,146 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $388,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 4.2% in the first quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 791 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership increased its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 8.8% in the first quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 420 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $147,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS increased its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 4.9% in the first quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 755 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $264,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zhang Financial LLC increased its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 2.2% in the first quarter. Zhang Financial LLC now owns 1,696 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $592,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.67% of the company's stock.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Up 3.9%

Shares of NYSE:SHW traded up $12.79 during trading on Friday, reaching $343.67. 2,613,314 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,763,568. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $346.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $348.07. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52-week low of $308.84 and a 52-week high of $400.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market cap of $85.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 1.18.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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). Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 11.03% and a return on equity of 66.91%. The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.70 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Loop Capital reduced their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $395.00 to $380.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $420.00 to $400.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $385.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $405.00 to $391.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $410.00 to $395.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $383.33.

Sherwin-Williams Company 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.