Franklin Resources Inc. Boosts Stock Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 5.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,412,722 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 78,075 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.56% of Sherwin-Williams worth $542,711,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of SHW. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $26,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 102.3% in the second quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 89 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 136.4% during the 2nd quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 104 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 77.67% of the company's stock.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

Sherwin-Williams stock traded down $2.35 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $364.50. 1,118,837 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,640,481. The stock has a market cap of $91.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.30, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.19. The stock's fifty day moving average is $379.11 and its 200-day moving average is $351.78. 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 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 posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The specialty chemicals company reported $3.37 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 firm had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.20 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a $0.715 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.49%.

Insider Activity

In other Sherwin-Williams news, SVP Mary L. Garceau sold 15,770 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.92, for a total transaction of $6,275,198.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 29,205 shares in the company, valued at $11,621,253.60. The trade was a 35.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Gregory P. Sofish sold 2,565 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $378.63, for a total transaction of $971,185.95. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 6,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,396,349.27. This trade represents a 28.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on SHW. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $430.00 to $420.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $455.00 to $446.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $392.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $396.47.

Sherwin-Williams 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.