The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Stake Boosted by Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 22.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,989 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 540 shares during the quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $1,016,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1,000.0% during the 3rd 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 period. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 41.7% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 119 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

NYSE:SHW opened at $334.56 on Thursday. 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 business’s 50-day moving average price is $353.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $365.04. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52-week low of $282.09 and a 52-week high of $400.42. The firm has a market cap of $84.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.71, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company posted $1.81 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This is an increase from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is 29.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $423.00 price objective (up from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sherwin-Williams has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $401.13.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In other news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares of the company’s stock, 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 SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.60% 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.