Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC Decreases Holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 28,068 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 210 shares during the quarter. Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $9,541,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in SHW. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 88.9% during the third quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 47.5% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 87 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. 77.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Sherwin-Williams news, SVP Mary L. Garceau sold 15,770 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.92, for a total value of $6,275,198.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 29,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,621,253.60. This trade represents a 35.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Down 1.6 %

NYSE:SHW opened at $344.54 on Monday. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 12 month low of $282.09 and a 12 month high of $400.42. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $351.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $365.56. 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 stock has a market cap of $86.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.22.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last issued its quarterly 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 in the previous year, the business earned $1.81 EPS. Equities analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.92%. This is an increase from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on SHW. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sherwin-Williams has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $400.59.

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.