Metis Global Partners LLC Acquires 5,906 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 25.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,902 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,906 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC's holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $9,825,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 88.9% during the 3rd quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 1,000.0% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 99 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total transaction of $1,008,479.70. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 5,365 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,933,009.50. This trade represents a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Up 2.0 %

Sherwin-Williams stock traded up $7.26 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $362.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,000,169 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,597,838. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52-week low of $282.09 and a 52-week high of $400.42. The firm's 50 day moving average is $351.67 and its 200 day moving average is $365.87. The company has a market cap of $91.18 billion, a PE ratio of 34.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.22.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 earned $1.81 earnings per share. On average, 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. This is a boost from Sherwin-Williams's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Sherwin-Williams's payout ratio is currently 29.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Berenberg Bank raised Sherwin-Williams from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Sherwin-Williams from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, November 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $403.31.

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.