Mizuho Securities USA LLC Purchases 308,921 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 1,717.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 326,903 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 308,921 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC owned approximately 0.13% of Sherwin-Williams worth $124,769,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SHW. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 13.0% during the third quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 1,818 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $694,000 after buying an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Tamar Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 3.4% in the third quarter. Tamar Securities LLC now owns 48,753 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $18,608,000 after purchasing an additional 1,604 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 7.9% in the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,636 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $787,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the period. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 24.1% during the second quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 7,805 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,329,000 after buying an additional 1,514 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its position in Sherwin-Williams by 4.3% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 98,118 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $37,449,000 after buying an additional 4,074 shares during the period. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on SHW shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $396.47.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Allen J. Mistysyn sold 14,520 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $366.83, for a total value of $5,326,371.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 63,520 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,301,041.60. This represents a 18.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

NYSE:SHW traded down $8.74 on Friday, reaching $378.99. The stock had a trading volume of 1,722,807 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,634,530. The company has a market capitalization of $95.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.17. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $376.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $341.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 1-year low of $264.54 and a 1-year high of $392.57.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The specialty chemicals company reported $3.37 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.56 by ($0.19). The business had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.20 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 74.45% and a net margin of 11.09%. The firm's revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.20 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.715 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. Sherwin-Williams's payout ratio is presently 28.49%.

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.