California Public Employees Retirement System Lowers Stock Holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

California Public Employees Retirement System decreased its position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 22.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 349,796 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 100,951 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned 0.14% of Sherwin-Williams worth $118,906,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. RWA Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,224 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,096,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 12.3% in the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 683,602 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $232,377,000 after purchasing an additional 74,994 shares during the period. Allianz SE acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth approximately $152,000. Allstate Corp bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,433,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 10,852 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $3,689,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company's stock.

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Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

Shares of SHW traded down $8.74 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $331.91. 4,337,001 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,751,685. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52-week low of $282.09 and a 52-week high of $400.42. The company's 50-day moving average price is $352.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $362.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The company has a market cap of $83.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 prior year, the business earned $1.81 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. This is a boost from Sherwin-Williams's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Sherwin-Williams's payout ratio is currently 29.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SHW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and issued a $423.00 target price (up from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $380.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $398.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value of $1,008,479.70. Following the sale, the insider now 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

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.