The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation, eleven have issued a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $403.31.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on SHW shares. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $423.00 price objective (up from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 28th.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE SHW opened at $355.31 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $351.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $365.87. 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 stock has a market cap of $89.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.22. Sherwin-Williams has a 52-week low of $282.09 and a 52-week high of $400.42.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.02. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 74.50% and a net margin of 11.61%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.81 EPS. Analysts expect that Sherwin-Williams will post 12 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Sherwin-Williams’s payout ratio is currently 29.95%.

Insider Activity

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares in the company, valued at $1,933,009.50. The trade was a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sherwin-Williams

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SHW. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 88.9% during the third quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Sherwin-Williams

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.