Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) Upgraded to “Buy” by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Friday morning.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Sherwin-Williams to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $392.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, August 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $320.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Barclays upped their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $315.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $344.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $362.68.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

Shares of Sherwin-Williams stock opened at $381.85 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $355.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $328.48. The company has a market cap of $96.82 billion, a PE ratio of 40.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.17. Sherwin-Williams has a one year low of $232.06 and a one year high of $382.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $3.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.51 by $0.19. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 75.58% and a net margin of 10.92%. The firm had revenue of $6.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.29 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Sherwin-Williams will post 11.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a dividend of $0.715 per share. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. Sherwin-Williams’s payout ratio is currently 30.49%.

Insider Activity at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, CFO Allen J. Mistysyn sold 14,520 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $366.83, for a total transaction of $5,326,371.60. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 63,520 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,301,041.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sherwin-Williams

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SHW. Waterloo Capital L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth about $360,000. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 7.9% in the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,636 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $787,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 7.2% in the 1st quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,533 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $532,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 259.1% in the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 6,998 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,183,000 after purchasing an additional 5,049 shares during the period. Finally, Transcend Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 24.1% in the 2nd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 7,805 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,329,000 after purchasing an additional 1,514 shares during the period. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.