The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Shares Sold by Wilkinson Global Asset Management LLC

Wilkinson Global Asset Management LLC cut its stake in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 152,584 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 806 shares during the quarter. Sherwin-Williams comprises approximately 3.2% of Wilkinson Global Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Wilkinson Global Asset Management LLC owned 0.06% of Sherwin-Williams worth $51,868,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 88.9% during the third quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter valued at $29,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter valued at $32,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 47.5% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 87 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SHW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $430.00 to $420.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $400.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Mary L. Garceau sold 15,770 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.92, for a total value of $6,275,198.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 29,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,621,253.60. This represents a 35.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

NYSE SHW traded down $5.48 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $344.54. 2,871,320 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,656,506. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52-week low of $282.09 and a 52-week high of $400.42. The company has a market capitalization of $86.77 billion, a PE ratio of 32.66, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The firm's 50-day moving average is $351.04 and its 200-day moving average is $365.24.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share 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 in the previous year, the business posted $1.81 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This is a boost from Sherwin-Williams's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.92%. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio is 27.11%.

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.