The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Shares Sold by Cozad Asset Management Inc.

Cozad Asset Management Inc. lessened its position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,674 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 101 shares during the period. Cozad Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $3,968,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 1,000.0% during the 3rd 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 period. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC grew its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 41.7% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 119 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other 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 value of $1,008,479.70. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 5,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SHW has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $423.00 price objective (up previously from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $380.00 price objective (down previously from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $401.13.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

NYSE SHW opened at $341.99 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $86.01 billion, a PE ratio of 32.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $353.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $365.62. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 12-month low of $282.09 and a 12-month high of $400.42.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last posted its earnings results 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 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.79 dividend. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.92%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.95%.

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.