National Pension Service Boosts Stock Holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

National Pension Service grew its stake in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 417,785 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 10,350 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned 0.16% of Sherwin-Williams worth $130,307,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,256,686 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $5,421,518,000 after purchasing an additional 187,478 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 65.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,427,014 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,384,160,000 after buying an additional 2,146,102 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 1.5% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 5,063,957 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,291,563,000 after buying an additional 75,571 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1.1% in the third quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,662,647 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $679,108,000 after acquiring an additional 28,554 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,524,391 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $643,846,000 after acquiring an additional 106,319 shares during the period. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SHW traded up $0.27 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $319.02. The stock had a trading volume of 933,215 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,485,314. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $326.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $302.91. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a one year low of $221.76 and a one year high of $348.37. The stock has a market cap of $80.89 billion, a PE ratio of 34.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.78.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.22 by ($0.05). Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 10.52% and a return on equity of 73.74%. The business had revenue of $5.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.04 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a dividend of $0.715 per share. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. Sherwin-Williams's payout ratio is 30.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on SHW shares. Wolfe Research began coverage on Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Citigroup reduced their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $390.00 to $370.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Loop Capital decreased their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $395.00 to $380.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Sherwin-Williams from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $341.39.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, SVP Gregory P. Sofish sold 1,830 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.70, for a total transaction of $586,881.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,029,710.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, SVP Gregory P. Sofish sold 1,830 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.70, for a total value of $586,881.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,029,710.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Mary L. Garceau sold 23,518 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $322.66, for a total transaction of $7,588,317.88. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 28,475 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,187,743.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 32,050 shares of company stock worth $10,340,237. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.

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