Vest Financial LLC Reduces Stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Vest Financial LLC lessened its position in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 3.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 152,222 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 4,759 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC owned 0.06% of Sherwin-Williams worth $53,154,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 36.7% in the first quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 8,227 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,873,000 after purchasing an additional 2,210 shares in the last quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 5.5% in the first quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 999 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $340,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 122.2% in the first quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,594 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,953,000 after purchasing an additional 3,077 shares in the last quarter. Orser Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the first quarter valued at $382,000. Finally, Unigestion Holding SA increased its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 357.0% in the first quarter. Unigestion Holding SA now owns 10,968 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $3,830,000 after purchasing an additional 8,568 shares in the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Down 0.1%

Sherwin-Williams stock traded down $0.23 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $357.65. 1,495,017 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,735,066. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52-week low of $282.09 and a 52-week high of $400.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.21. The business's 50-day moving average price is $346.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $353.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.23 by $0.02. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 11.61% and a return on equity of 74.50%. The business had revenue of $5.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.17 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Sherwin-Williams's payout ratio is 29.87%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $380.00 price target (down from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $405.00 to $385.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $430.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $350.00 to $420.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Mizuho set a $395.00 price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Five investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $397.00.

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.