Dearborn Partners LLC Sells 1,340 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Dearborn Partners LLC reduced its stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 106,107 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 1,340 shares during the quarter. Sherwin-Williams makes up 1.5% of Dearborn Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Dearborn Partners LLC’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $36,069,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,047,174 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $399,675,000 after purchasing an additional 10,709 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 7,906 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $3,018,000 after purchasing an additional 411 shares during the period. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Essex Savings Bank lifted its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Essex Savings Bank now owns 880 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on SHW. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $423.00 target price (up previously from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $401.13.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Down 1.5 %

NYSE:SHW opened at $358.11 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.94, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 1-year low of $282.09 and a 1-year high of $400.42. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $353.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $365.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.46.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released 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 net margin of 11.61% and a return on equity of 74.50%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.95%.

Insider Activity at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the firm’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 sale, the insider now owns 5,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,933,009.50. This trade represents a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Sherwin-Williams 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.