Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Raises Stock Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,891 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 963 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.'s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $6,082,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1.0% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,047,174 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $399,675,000 after purchasing an additional 10,709 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. increased its position in Sherwin-Williams by 35.6% in the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 2,726 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,041,000 after buying an additional 716 shares during the period. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Sherwin-Williams by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 960 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $366,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 176.6% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $406,000 after buying an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,049,000. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Sherwin-Williams

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

Sherwin-Williams Stock Down 1.7 %

NYSE:SHW traded down $5.88 on Friday, hitting $339.77. The stock had a trading volume of 1,304,583 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,730,061. 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 Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52 week low of $282.09 and a 52 week high of $400.42. The company has a market cap of $85.46 billion, a PE ratio of 32.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The business's fifty day moving average is $353.59 and its 200 day moving average is $363.86.

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. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.79 dividend. This is an increase from Sherwin-Williams's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on SHW shares. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $380.00 target price (down from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 target price on Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $423.00 price target (up previously from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $401.13.

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.