Erste Asset Management GmbH Has $38.90 Million Stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Erste Asset Management GmbH boosted its position in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 113,945 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,082 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $38,897,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1,000.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 99 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 41.7% during the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 119 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

Shares of SHW stock opened at $350.21 on Thursday. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52-week low of $282.09 and a 52-week high of $400.42. The stock has a market cap of $88.08 billion, a PE ratio of 33.20, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $353.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $365.85.

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

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.90%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price target 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $401.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value of $1,008,479.70. Following the sale, the insider now directly 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

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.