Vanguard Group Inc. Increases Stock Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company $SHW

Key Points

• Vanguard increased its stake in Sherwin‑Williams by 2.7% in Q4, buying 600,119 shares to hold 23,237,824 shares (9.37% ownership) valued at about $7.53 billion, and institutional investors now own roughly 77.67% of the stock.
• Sherwin‑Williams beat quarterly expectations, reporting $2.23 EPS versus $2.16 expected and $5.60B revenue (up 5.6% y/y), and announced a $0.80 quarterly dividend (annualized $3.20, 0.9% yield) payable June 5 with an ex‑dividend date of May 22.
• Market view is a "Moderate Buy" with an average analyst target of $379.08, although several firms have trimmed price targets recently and insiders have made modest stock sales.

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,237,824 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 600,119 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.37% of Sherwin-Williams worth $7,529,752,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of SHW. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 101.4% in the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,957,750 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $672,213,000 after buying an additional 985,520 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 424.2% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 547,583 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $177,433,000 after buying an additional 443,119 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter valued at about $104,826,000. Amundi lifted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 14.0% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 1,897,769 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $639,377,000 after purchasing an additional 232,436 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter worth $68,994,000. 77.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

Shares of Sherwin-Williams stock opened at $337.21 on Monday. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52 week low of $301.58 and a 52 week high of $379.65. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $334.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $338.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.83, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.27.

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

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. Sherwin-Williams's payout ratio is presently 31.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on SHW shares. UBS Group decreased their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $420.00 to $380.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $390.00 to $376.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Sherwin-Williams from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $380.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $379.08.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,976 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were 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 represents a 35.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Bryan J. Young sold 2,513 shares of Sherwin-Williams 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 10,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,661,101.15. The trade was a 20.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SHW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.