The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the eighteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $391.31.

SHW has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $380.00 price objective (down previously from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Monday, March 10th. Citigroup lowered Sherwin-Williams from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $405.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Friday, June 13th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $430.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $405.00 to $385.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $410.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SHW opened at $352.61 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. Sherwin-Williams has a 12-month low of $293.56 and a 12-month high of $400.42. The company's 50 day moving average price is $350.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $348.10. The firm has a market cap of $88.36 billion, a PE ratio of 33.33, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.18.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $5.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.42 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 11.63% and a return on equity of 71.86%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.17 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Sherwin-Williams will post 12 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were given a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.87%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sherwin-Williams

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SHW. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 1st quarter valued at about $3,227,000. Voya Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 7.9% in the first quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 369,423 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $128,719,000 after acquiring an additional 27,186 shares during the period. Howe & Rusling Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 33.9% during the first quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 1,572 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $549,000 after acquiring an additional 398 shares in the last quarter. Cim LLC boosted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 2.7% in the first quarter. Cim LLC now owns 7,528 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,629,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Drummond Knight Asset Management Pty Ltd bought a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 1st quarter worth $10,616,000. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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