Quantbot Technologies LP Boosts Stock Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 53.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,449 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,201 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $1,172,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 80.0% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 1,177 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 523 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 52.6% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 6,680 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,271,000 after purchasing an additional 2,303 shares in the last quarter. Burney Co. lifted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Burney Co. now owns 17,272 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $5,871,000 after purchasing an additional 766 shares in the last quarter. Kerusso Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 75.9% during the 4th quarter. Kerusso Capital Management LLC now owns 10,290 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,498,000 after purchasing an additional 4,439 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canoe Financial LP grew its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 542.0% during the 4th quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 339,707 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $115,477,000 after purchasing an additional 286,791 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

SHW opened at $341.20 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 1 year low of $282.09 and a 1 year high of $400.42. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $354.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $364.35. The firm has a market cap of $85.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.34, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last issued its earnings results 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 net margin of 11.61% and a return on equity of 74.50%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.81 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on SHW. Berenberg Bank raised Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Mizuho dropped their price target 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. 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. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $423.00 price objective (up previously from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $401.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the 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 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.60% of the stock is owned by 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.