Legal & General Group Plc Has $490.82 Million Stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Legal & General Group Plc trimmed its position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 22.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,443,888 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 425,693 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.57% of Sherwin-Williams worth $490,821,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SHW. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 41.7% during the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 119 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Up 2.2 %

SHW traded up $7.20 during trading on Friday, reaching $337.11. 2,032,653 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,783,917. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The stock's 50-day moving average is $347.47 and its 200 day moving average is $360.20. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 12 month low of $282.09 and a 12 month high of $400.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.79 billion, a PE ratio of 31.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.26.

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

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Sherwin-Williams's payout ratio is currently 29.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Zelman & Associates raised Sherwin-Williams to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $423.00 to $375.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $393.31.

Insider Activity at Sherwin-Williams

In other Sherwin-Williams 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,933,009.50. The trade was a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Sherwin-Williams

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.