Morgan Stanley Has Lowered Expectations for Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) Stock Price

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) had its target price cut by Morgan Stanley from $405.00 to $385.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the specialty chemicals company's stock.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $430.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price target on Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $423.00 to $375.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Mizuho set a $395.00 price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $392.00.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SHW traded down $3.18 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $331.26. The company had a trading volume of 1,552,327 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,765,949. Sherwin-Williams has a one year low of $282.09 and a one year high of $400.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The company's 50-day moving average price is $342.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $357.28. The firm has a market cap of $83.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.40, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.26.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.02. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 74.50% and a net margin of 11.61%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.81 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Sherwin-Williams will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio is 29.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value of $1,008,479.70. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,933,009.50. The trade was a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 1.0% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,047,174 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $399,675,000 after purchasing an additional 10,709 shares during the last quarter. Tudor Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter worth $252,000. Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 3rd quarter valued at $608,000. Arvest Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 3rd quarter valued at $350,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 2,092.0% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 16,747 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $6,392,000 after acquiring an additional 15,983 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company's stock.

Sherwin-Williams Company Profile

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.