The Sherwin-Williams Company $SHW Holdings Decreased by J.P. Marvel Investment Advisors LLC

Key Points

• J.P. Marvel Investment Advisors cut its stake in The Sherwin‑Williams Company by 34.4% in Q4, selling 9,318 shares and finishing with 17,746 shares worth about $5.75 million, roughly 0.8% of the fund and its 28th-largest holding.
• Other institutional investors increased exposure (e.g., Viking Global more than doubled its position and Vanguard holds over 22.6 million shares), leaving institutions owning 77.67% of SHW stock.
• Analysts are broadly positive with a consensus "Moderate Buy" (nine Buy, five Hold) and an average price target of $379.08; the company recently beat quarterly EPS estimates and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.80 (annualized $3.20, ~0.9% yield).

J.P. Marvel Investment Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 34.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,746 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 9,318 shares during the period. Sherwin-Williams accounts for approximately 0.8% of J.P. Marvel Investment Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. J.P. Marvel Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $5,750,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SHW. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 101.4% during the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,957,750 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $672,213,000 after purchasing an additional 985,520 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 424.2% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 547,583 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $177,433,000 after purchasing an additional 443,119 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 1.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,637,705 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $7,838,532,000 after purchasing an additional 309,153 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter valued at $104,826,000. Finally, Amundi boosted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 14.0% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 1,897,769 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $639,377,000 after purchasing an additional 232,436 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.67% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on SHW shares. Zacks Research raised Sherwin-Williams from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Vertical Research raised Sherwin-Williams from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $371.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $390.00 to $376.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $410.00 to $371.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $379.08.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,976 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $359.50, for a total value of $1,069,872.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 5,365 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,928,717.50. This trade represents a 35.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Bryan J. Young sold 2,513 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $364.47, for a total value of $915,913.11. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 10,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,661,101.15. This represents a 20.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

NYSE SHW opened at $337.21 on Friday. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a fifty-two week low of $301.58 and a fifty-two week high of $379.65. The stock's 50-day moving average is $334.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $338.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm has a market cap of $83.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.27.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.07. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 65.26% and a net margin of 10.90%.The company had revenue of $5.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.57 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.09 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be given a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.16%.

Sherwin-Williams Company Profile

Sherwin-Williams NYSE: SHW is a global manufacturer and distributor of paints, coatings and related products. Founded in 1866 and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, the company supplies a broad range of coatings for residential, commercial and industrial applications. Its product offering includes architectural paints and stains, industrial and protective coatings, automotive finishes, and a variety of sundry products such as primers, sealants and specialty treatments used by professionals and consumers.

The company sells through multiple channels, including a large network of company-operated retail paint stores that serve professional contractors and do-it-yourself consumers, as well as through distributors and mass retailers.

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