Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Sells 15,000 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board reduced its holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 5.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 239,124 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 15,000 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned approximately 0.09% of Sherwin-Williams worth $81,285,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of SHW. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at $1,359,747,000. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 54.2% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,073,533 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $704,855,000 after buying an additional 728,798 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter valued at about $230,829,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Sherwin-Williams by 41,520.8% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 479,472 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $162,987,000 after buying an additional 478,320 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 28.6% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,032,170 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $690,796,000 after acquiring an additional 451,505 shares during the period. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value of $1,008,479.70. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 5,365 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,933,009.50. This represents a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Down 0.2 %

Sherwin-Williams stock traded down $0.82 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $331.14. The stock had a trading volume of 643,831 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,780,711. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $343.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $358.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.29 billion, a PE ratio of 31.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.26. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.02. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 11.61% and a return on equity of 74.50%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.81 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. Sherwin-Williams's payout ratio is currently 29.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on SHW shares. Zelman & Associates raised Sherwin-Williams to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Sherwin-Williams from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $405.00 to $385.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $380.00 price target (down previously from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $430.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $391.25.

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.