Sirios Capital Management L P Trims Stock Holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Sirios Capital Management L P lessened its holdings in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 39.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,823 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 1,184 shares during the period. Sirios Capital Management L P’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $620,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SHW. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 41.7% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Up 3.1 %

Shares of SHW stock opened at $332.18 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $83.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.26. The business’s 50 day moving average is $343.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $358.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a twelve month low of $282.09 and a twelve month high of $400.42.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 quarter last year, the firm earned $1.81 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. Sherwin-Williams’s payout ratio is currently 29.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $380.00 target price (down from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Monday, March 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays reduced their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $385.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, 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 report on Friday, January 24th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $391.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value of $1,008,479.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,933,009.50. This trade represents a 34.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Sherwin-Williams Company 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.