Capital International Investors Sells 813,540 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Capital International Investors trimmed its stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 30.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,895,905 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 813,540 shares during the quarter. Capital International Investors owned about 0.75% of Sherwin-Williams worth $644,441,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 11.2% in the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 292,617 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $99,395,000 after acquiring an additional 29,444 shares during the period. MSH Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at about $5,012,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 76.3% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 15,555 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $5,288,000 after buying an additional 6,731 shares during the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 2,565 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $872,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Stenger Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at about $5,930,000. 77.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE SHW traded up $3.54 during trading on Thursday, hitting $334.79. 468,683 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,884,494. The company has a market capitalization of $84.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.73, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.26. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $343.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $357.95. 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 earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.81 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were 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 trade represents a 34.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SHW has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $423.00 to $375.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and set a $380.00 price objective (down previously from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Barclays decreased their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $385.00 to $355.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $430.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock 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 given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.