123,213 Shares in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Bought by AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc bought a new position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 123,213 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $38,444,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC increased its position in Sherwin-Williams by 65.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,427,014 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,384,160,000 after purchasing an additional 2,146,102 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth about $498,336,000. Morgan Stanley grew its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 50.9% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 5,180,068 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,229,386,000 after buying an additional 1,747,586 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 154.8% in the 2nd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 1,414,318 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $375,530,000 after buying an additional 859,301 shares during the period. Finally, PineStone Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Sherwin-Williams by 263.7% during the 3rd quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 921,772 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $235,098,000 after purchasing an additional 668,305 shares during the last quarter. 75.87% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on SHW. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, March 1st. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Northcoast Research raised shares of Sherwin-Williams from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $360.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $346.00 to $341.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $300.00 price target (up previously from $270.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $318.72.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

NYSE SHW traded up $1.31 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $336.58. The stock had a trading volume of 851,821 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,473,076. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $316.91 and a 200 day moving average of $286.86. The stock has a market cap of $85.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.15. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52-week low of $205.43 and a 52-week high of $347.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.83.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.23 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 74.72% and a net margin of 10.36%. The business's quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.89 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a $0.715 dividend. This is an increase from Sherwin-Williams's previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. This represents a $2.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio is currently 30.92%.

Insider Activity at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, SVP Gregory P. Sofish sold 1,830 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.70, for a total value of $586,881.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,029,710.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Todd D. Rea sold 2,449 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.54, for a total value of $767,859.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 9,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,925,014.66. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Gregory P. Sofish sold 1,830 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.70, for a total value of $586,881.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 6,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,029,710.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 32,050 shares of company stock valued at $10,340,237. 0.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Sherwin-Williams

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.