The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Shares Bought by CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 11.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 292,617 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 29,444 shares during the quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co owned approximately 0.12% of Sherwin-Williams worth $99,395,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,359,747,000. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 54.2% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,073,533 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $704,855,000 after acquiring an additional 728,798 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter worth $230,829,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 41,520.8% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 479,472 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $162,987,000 after buying an additional 478,320 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 28.6% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,032,170 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $690,796,000 after purchasing an additional 451,505 shares in the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Sherwin-Williams

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 shares were sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value of $1,008,479.70. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,933,009.50. This represents a 34.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Up 2.7 %

NYSE:SHW traded up $8.65 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $330.95. The company had a trading volume of 398,870 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,780,954. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 1 year low of $282.09 and a 1 year high of $400.42. The company has a market cap of $83.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a 50-day moving average of $344.13 and a 200 day moving average of $358.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02.

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

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price target on Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $423.00 to $375.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and set a $380.00 price target (down previously from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Monday, March 10th. 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Sherwin-Williams currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $391.25.

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.