BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Acquires 19,364 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lifted its stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 36.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 72,289 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,364 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $24,573,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC grew its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 41.7% during the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 119 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on SHW shares. 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 report on Monday, April 7th. Mizuho set a $395.00 price objective on Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, 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 research report on Monday, February 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $392.50.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SHW opened at $333.03 on Friday. 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 stock has a market cap of $83.76 billion, a PE ratio of 31.57, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.26. The company’s fifty day moving average is $344.78 and its 200 day moving average is $358.89. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52 week low of $282.09 and a 52 week high of $400.42.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 EPS 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 in the prior year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders 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 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.95%.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company 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.