Bessemer Group Inc. trimmed its stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 94.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 31,135 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 536,418 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc.'s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $10,585,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SHW. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 41.7% in the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 119 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.67% of the company's stock.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,933,009.50. This represents a 34.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance
SHW stock traded down $2.08 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $334.80. The company had a trading volume of 299,834 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,775,514. The firm has a market cap of $84.21 billion, a PE ratio of 31.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $346.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $359.75. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 12 month low of $282.09 and a 12 month high of $400.42.
Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) 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 period in the previous year, the business posted $1.81 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio is 29.95%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Berenberg Bank raised Sherwin-Williams from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup decreased their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $423.00 to $375.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $392.50.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Sherwin-Williams
About Sherwin-Williams
(
Free Report)
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.
See Also

Before you consider Sherwin-Williams, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Sherwin-Williams wasn't on the list.
While Sherwin-Williams currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
With the proliferation of data centers and electric vehicles, the electric grid will only get more strained. Download this report to learn how energy stocks can play a role in your portfolio as the global demand for energy continues to grow.
Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.
Link copied to clipboard.