Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Cuts Stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lowered its position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 6.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,698 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 826 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System's holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $4,316,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 18.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,482,662 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,474,238,000 after buying an additional 999,164 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $230,829,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Sherwin-Williams by 41,520.8% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 479,472 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $162,987,000 after purchasing an additional 478,320 shares during the period. Canoe Financial LP raised its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 542.0% during the 4th quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 339,707 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $115,477,000 after purchasing an additional 286,791 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 47.5% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 864,558 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $293,889,000 after purchasing an additional 278,242 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.67% of the company's stock.

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Sherwin-Williams Stock Up 2.5 %

SHW stock traded up $8.49 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $342.90. 1,847,668 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,633,859. The stock has a market cap of $86.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a fifty-two week low of $282.09 and a fifty-two week high of $400.42. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $353.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $364.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last announced 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 return on equity of 74.50% and a net margin of 11.61%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.81 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.79 per share. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $423.00 price objective (up from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and set a $380.00 target price (down previously from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price target on Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sherwin-Williams currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $401.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider now 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.