LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. Increases Stock Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. grew its stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 23.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 22,091 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 4,185 shares during the period. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd.'s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $7,509,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,933,009.50. This represents a 34.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Sherwin-Williams from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $423.00 price objective (up previously from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Sherwin-Williams to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut 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 note on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $403.31.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of Sherwin-Williams stock traded up $7.26 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $362.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,000,172 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,599,118. 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 fifty day simple moving average of $351.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $365.84. The company has a market capitalization of $91.18 billion, a PE ratio of 34.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.22. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52 week low of $282.09 and a 52 week high of $400.42.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 period last year, the business posted $1.81 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.95%.

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.