The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Shares Sold by Ensign Peak Advisors Inc

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc cut its holdings in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 546,326 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 39,501 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned 0.22% of Sherwin-Williams worth $185,713,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC grew its position 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 valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total transaction of $1,008,479.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 5,365 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,933,009.50. This represents a 34.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

Shares of Sherwin-Williams stock traded down $4.10 on Wednesday, hitting $351.94. The company's stock had a trading volume of 514,182 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,760,899. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52-week low of $282.09 and a 52-week high of $400.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $341.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $355.25. The company has a market capitalization of $88.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.25.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $5.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.42 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 11.61% and a return on equity of 74.50%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.17 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share 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 paid 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 is Friday, May 16th. Sherwin-Williams's payout ratio is 29.87%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on SHW. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $430.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Mizuho set a $395.00 price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $385.00 to $355.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Berenberg Bank raised Sherwin-Williams from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $397.00.

Sherwin-Williams 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.