PFG Investments LLC Raises Stock Holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

PFG Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 15.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,335 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $416,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of SHW. First Hawaiian Bank grew its position in Sherwin-Williams by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 7,559 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,358,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Hutner Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1.8% during the second quarter. Hutner Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,062 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $548,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC now owns 848 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $263,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Midwest Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1.6% during the third quarter. Midwest Financial Group LLC now owns 2,540 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $648,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Montag A & Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 2.2% during the third quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 1,825 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $465,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:SHW opened at $346.95 on Thursday. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 12-month low of $210.92 and a 12-month high of $347.71. The company has a market cap of $88.28 billion, a PE ratio of 37.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.15. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $321.19 and a 200 day moving average of $289.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.01. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 10.36% and a return on equity of 74.72%. The firm had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.89 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.44 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were given a dividend of $0.715 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $2.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. This is a boost from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.92%.

Insider Activity at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, insider Todd D. Rea sold 2,449 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.54, for a total transaction of $767,859.46. Following the sale, the insider now owns 9,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,925,014.66. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Todd D. Rea sold 2,449 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.54, for a total transaction of $767,859.46. Following the sale, the insider now owns 9,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,925,014.66. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Gregory P. Sofish sold 1,830 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.70, for a total value of $586,881.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,029,710.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 32,050 shares of company stock valued at $10,340,237. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on SHW. Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $300.00 target price (up from $270.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Mizuho decreased their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $352.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group upgraded Sherwin-Williams from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $312.00 to $402.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $285.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Argus boosted their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $330.00 to $378.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $320.39.

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.