The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $396.47.

SHW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $344.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $455.00 to $446.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $375.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Down 0.5 %

SHW opened at $373.49 on Wednesday. Sherwin-Williams has a one year low of $269.28 and a one year high of $392.57. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $376.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $343.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.51.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The specialty chemicals company reported $3.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $6.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.20 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Sherwin-Williams will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.715 per share. This represents a $2.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.49%.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, CFO Allen J. Mistysyn sold 14,520 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were 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 $23,301,041.60. This represents a 18.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Sherwin-Williams

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SHW. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in 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 during the last quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 102.3% in the 2nd quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 89 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 136.4% in the 2nd quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 104 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company's stock.

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.