Rafferty Asset Management LLC Has $15.91 Million Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Rafferty Asset Management LLC increased its stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 26.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 46,789 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,861 shares during the quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC's holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $15,905,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SHW. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 41.7% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 119 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SHW opened at $361.45 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $341.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $355.21. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a fifty-two week low of $282.09 and a fifty-two week high of $400.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.46.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.02. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 74.50% and a net margin of 11.61%. The firm had revenue of $5.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.17 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.87%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SHW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup cut their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $423.00 to $375.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Sherwin-Williams from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $321.00 to $420.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $405.00 to $385.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Sherwin-Williams from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $350.00 to $420.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $397.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sherwin-Williams

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value of $1,008,479.70. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares in the company, valued at $1,933,009.50. This represents a 34.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

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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