The Sherwin-Williams Company $SHW Shares Acquired by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank increased its stake in The Sherwin‑Williams Company by 294.3% in Q4, acquiring an additional 171,893 shares to hold 230,298 shares valued at about $74.62 million (0.09% of the company).
• Sherwin‑Williams beat quarterly expectations with EPS of $2.23 versus $2.16 and revenue of $5.60 billion (up 5.6% year‑over‑year), and analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $379.77.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.80 (annualized $3.20), implying a yield of about 0.9% and a payout ratio near 31.16%.

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 294.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 230,298 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 171,893 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned 0.09% of Sherwin-Williams worth $74,623,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Sherwin-Williams by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,637,705 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $7,838,532,000 after buying an additional 309,153 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,432,977 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,188,698,000 after acquiring an additional 11,560 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 0.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,052,021 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,056,811,000 after acquiring an additional 12,715 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP increased its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 47.2% during the third quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 2,881,091 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $997,607,000 after acquiring an additional 923,341 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 2.0% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 2,675,299 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $926,249,000 after acquiring an additional 52,322 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company's stock.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Sherwin-Williams stock opened at $346.17 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $337.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $338.43. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 12-month low of $301.58 and a 12-month high of $379.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The stock has a market cap of $85.63 billion, a PE ratio of 33.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.27.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.07. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 65.26% and a net margin of 10.90%.The business had revenue of $5.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.57 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.09 EPS. The company's revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were issued a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams's previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,976 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 5,365 shares in the company, valued at $1,928,717.50. This trade represents a 35.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Bryan J. Young sold 2,513 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $364.47, for a total transaction of $915,913.11. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 10,045 shares in the company, valued at $3,661,101.15. This represents a 20.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $390.00 to $376.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Zacks Research upgraded Sherwin-Williams from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Mizuho cut their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $410.00 to $371.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Vertical Research upgraded Sherwin-Williams from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $371.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered Sherwin-Williams from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $410.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, April 10th. Ten equities research 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 has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $379.77.

About Sherwin-Williams

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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