Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Thursday.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $375.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group reaffirmed an "underperform" rating on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $396.47.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

NYSE SHW traded down $2.18 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $393.96. 2,249,090 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,646,818. Sherwin-Williams has a 52 week low of $272.34 and a 52 week high of $400.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.24, a P/E/G ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97. The business's fifty day moving average price is $378.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $345.96.

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

Insider Activity at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, CFO Allen J. Mistysyn sold 14,520 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $366.83, for a total transaction of $5,326,371.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 63,520 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,301,041.60. This represents a 18.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Mary L. Garceau sold 15,770 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.92, for a total transaction of $6,275,198.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 29,205 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,621,253.60. The trade was a 35.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 32,855 shares of company stock worth $12,572,756. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SHW. FMR LLC grew its position in Sherwin-Williams by 18.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,482,662 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,474,238,000 after acquiring an additional 999,164 shares during the last quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 132.8% in the second quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,609,392 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $480,291,000 after purchasing an additional 917,979 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 610.0% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,045,374 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $311,971,000 after buying an additional 898,143 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 40,317.4% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 726,705 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $277,361,000 after buying an additional 724,907 shares during the period. Finally, Jensen Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 2nd quarter valued at about $169,770,000. Institutional investors 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.