Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) Sees Large Volume Increase - Time to Buy?

The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) saw strong trading volume on Tuesday . 1,019,765 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 33% from the previous session's volume of 1,526,095 shares.The stock last traded at $371.00 and had previously closed at $381.75.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on SHW. KeyCorp reaffirmed a "sector weight" rating on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $392.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $418.00 price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Friday, August 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $344.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $383.35.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $371.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $334.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.13 billion, a PE ratio of 36.83, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $3.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.51 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $6.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.33 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 75.58% and a net margin of 10.92%. The business's revenue was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.29 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $0.715 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.79%. Sherwin-Williams's payout ratio is 29.15%.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In other news, CFO Allen J. Mistysyn sold 14,520 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at $23,301,041.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Sherwin-Williams

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SHW. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 102.3% during the 2nd quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 89 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 136.4% during the 2nd quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 104 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. VitalStone Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 233.3% during the 2nd quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 110 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.67% 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.