SBI Securities Co. Ltd. Makes New $1.57 Million Investment in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 4,626 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $1,573,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sherwin-Williams

In other news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total transaction of $1,008,479.70. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 5,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,933,009.50. The trade was a 34.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SHW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Zelman & Associates upgraded Sherwin-Williams to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target 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. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $423.00 price objective (up previously from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Berenberg Bank raised shares of Sherwin-Williams from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $403.31.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

SHW stock traded up $7.26 on Wednesday, reaching $362.54. 2,000,172 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,599,118. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $351.67 and a 200-day moving average of $365.87. The firm has a market cap of $91.18 billion, a PE ratio of 34.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.22. 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 Sherwin-Williams Company has a twelve month low of $282.09 and a twelve month high of $400.42.

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

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This is an increase from Sherwin-Williams's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. Sherwin-Williams's payout ratio is presently 29.95%.

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.