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

Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eighteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $403.31.

SHW has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $423.00 price target (up previously from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Mizuho decreased their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Berenberg Bank upgraded Sherwin-Williams from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value of $1,008,479.70. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 5,365 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,933,009.50. This represents a 34.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sherwin-Williams

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 88.9% in the 3rd quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 77.67% of the company's stock.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

Sherwin-Williams stock traded down $6.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $355.31. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,244,624 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,585,770. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $351.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $365.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. Sherwin-Williams has a twelve month low of $282.09 and a twelve month high of $400.42. The firm has a market cap of $89.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.77, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.22.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.02. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 74.50% and a net margin of 11.61%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.81 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Sherwin-Williams will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.95%.

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.