Congress Asset Management Co. Reduces Stock Holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Congress Asset Management Co. reduced its holdings in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 393,110 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 2,737 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. owned 0.16% of Sherwin-Williams worth $133,630,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. PineStone Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,124,999 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $382,421,000 after acquiring an additional 40,825 shares during the period. ABC Arbitrage SA acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter worth about $1,636,000. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,024 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,028,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc. grew its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 18.8% during the 4th quarter. W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc. now owns 4,836 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,644,000 after acquiring an additional 765 shares during the period. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,382 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $470,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the period. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sherwin-Williams news, SVP Mary L. Garceau sold 15,770 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.92, for a total transaction of $6,275,198.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 29,205 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,621,253.60. This trade represents a 35.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

Shares of Sherwin-Williams stock traded down $1.61 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $351.39. 1,394,437 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,586,247. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 12 month low of $282.09 and a 12 month high of $400.42. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $352.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $365.40. 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 company has a market capitalization of $88.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.22.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 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 posted $1.81 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on SHW shares. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com downgraded Sherwin-Williams from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 28th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Sherwin-Williams from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Barclays raised their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $400.00.

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.