Kentucky Retirement Systems Decreases Stock Holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Kentucky Retirement Systems cut its stake in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 8.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,168 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 1,410 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems' holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $6,171,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 88.9% during the 3rd quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 102.3% in the second quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 89 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 136.4% during the 2nd quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 104 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 233.3% during the 2nd quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 110 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Allen J. Mistysyn sold 14,520 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $366.83, for a total value of $5,326,371.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 63,520 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,301,041.60. The trade was a 18.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SHW traded down $8.74 on Friday, reaching $378.99. 1,722,807 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,634,530. The company has a 50-day moving average of $376.42 and a 200-day moving average of $341.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97. The firm has a market cap of $95.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.17. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 1-year low of $264.54 and a 1-year high of $392.57.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The specialty chemicals company reported $3.37 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.56 by ($0.19). Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 74.45% and a net margin of 11.09%. The firm had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.20 EPS. The business's revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.715 per share. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SHW has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $392.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 26th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $344.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $455.00 to $446.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $396.47.

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.