Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) Raised to “Hold” at Zacks Research

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Mizuho cut their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $410.00 to $371.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Vertical Research upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $371.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. UBS Group set a $420.00 target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $390.00 to $376.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $386.31.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of SHW stock opened at $326.03 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $343.60 and its 200 day moving average is $339.94. Sherwin-Williams has a 12-month low of $301.58 and a 12-month high of $379.65.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $5.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.57 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 65.26% and a net margin of 10.90%.The company’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.09 EPS. Research analysts expect that Sherwin-Williams will post 12 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sherwin-Williams

In other news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,976 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $359.50, for a total value of $1,069,872.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,365 shares in the company, valued at $1,928,717.50. The trade was a 35.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Bryan J. Young sold 2,513 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $364.47, for a total value of $915,913.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 10,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,661,101.15. This trade represents a 20.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cornerstone Planning LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,435,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 106,890 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $34,636,000 after acquiring an additional 7,149 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors grew its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 127.4% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 5,545 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,797,000 after acquiring an additional 3,107 shares in the last quarter. Demming Financial Services Corp ADV bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at $1,063,000. Finally, Larry Mathis Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth $221,000. 77.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Sherwin-Williams

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE: SHW) is a global manufacturer and distributor of paints, coatings and related products. Founded in 1866 and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, the company supplies a broad range of coatings for residential, commercial and industrial applications. Its product offering includes architectural paints and stains, industrial and protective coatings, automotive finishes, and a variety of sundry products such as primers, sealants and specialty treatments used by professionals and consumers.

The company sells through multiple channels, including a large network of company-operated retail paint stores that serve professional contractors and do-it-yourself consumers, as well as through distributors and mass retailers.