Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Grows Stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. grew its holdings in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 42.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 520,906 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 155,100 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned 0.21% of Sherwin-Williams worth $177,072,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in SHW. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 41.7% during the fourth 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 period. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Institutional investors own 77.67% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on SHW. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $405.00 to $385.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $380.00 price target (down previously from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $430.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $391.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,933,009.50. This trade represents a 34.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Up 3.1 %

Shares of NYSE SHW opened at $332.18 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $343.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $358.14. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 1-year low of $282.09 and a 1-year high of $400.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.26.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 74.50% and a net margin of 11.61%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.81 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

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

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.

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