The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 6,520,000 shares, an increase of 41.7% from the February 13th total of 4,600,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,730,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.8 days. Currently, 2.8% of the company's shares are short sold.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

NYSE SHW traded up $1.09 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $336.01. The company had a trading volume of 2,157,038 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,623,089. The business has a 50 day moving average of $353.91 and a 200-day moving average of $365.04. The company has a market cap of $84.51 billion, a PE ratio of 31.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. Sherwin-Williams has a 1-year low of $282.09 and a 1-year high of $400.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.79.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 previous year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Sherwin-Williams will post 12 EPS for the current year.

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Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.94%. This is a boost from Sherwin-Williams's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Sherwin-Williams's payout ratio is presently 29.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SHW has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Mizuho reduced their price objective 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. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and set a $423.00 target price (up from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Berenberg Bank raised Sherwin-Williams from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $401.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $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 available at the SEC website. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Sherwin-Williams

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1,000.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 99 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.67% of the company's stock.

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.