The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Shares Sold by Yaupon Capital Management LP

Yaupon Capital Management LP lessened its stake in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report) by 32.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,057 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 12,283 shares during the period. Yaupon Capital Management LP's holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $8,858,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 41.7% in the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 119 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on SHW. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Mizuho set a $395.00 price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised Sherwin-Williams to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $392.50.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SHW opened at $322.77 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $344.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $358.32. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a fifty-two week low of $282.09 and a fifty-two week high of $400.42. The company has a market cap of $81.18 billion, a PE ratio of 30.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.26.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 last year, the firm earned $1.81 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Sherwin-Williams's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.95%.

Insider Activity at Sherwin-Williams

In other news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total transaction of $1,008,479.70. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,933,009.50. The trade was 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 available at this link. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Sherwin-Williams

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SHW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.