The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Shares Sold by New England Research & Management Inc.

New England Research & Management Inc. lessened its stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 27.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,260 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 1,250 shares during the period. New England Research & Management Inc.'s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $1,108,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in SHW. Griffin Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Sherwin-Williams by 0.3% during the third quarter. Griffin Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,296 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $3,548,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,201 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $458,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 47.5% in the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 87 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1.8% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,560 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $595,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Interstate Bank increased its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 1.9% during the third quarter. First Interstate Bank now owns 1,466 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $560,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

Shares of SHW traded up $7.05 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $367.46. 2,384,125 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,612,614. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.22. 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $360.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $363.04. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 12-month low of $282.09 and a 12-month high of $400.42.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 74.45% and a net margin of 11.09%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.81 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on SHW shares. UBS Group reaffirmed an "underperform" rating on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Friday, October 18th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, November 28th. KeyCorp reissued a "sector weight" rating on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Zelman & Associates upgraded Sherwin-Williams to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $400.65.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sherwin-Williams

In other Sherwin-Williams news, SVP Mary L. Garceau sold 15,770 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.92, for a total value of $6,275,198.40. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 29,205 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,621,253.60. This trade represents a 35.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Gregory P. Sofish sold 2,565 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $378.63, for a total value of $971,185.95. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,396,349.27. The trade was a 28.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

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.