Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) Reaches New 1-Year High at $348.37

The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $348.37 and last traded at $347.33, with a volume of 937610 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $346.89.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $285.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group upgraded Sherwin-Williams from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $312.00 to $402.00 in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $346.00 to $341.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $320.39.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25. The company has a market capitalization of $88.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.55, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.15. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $322.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $289.79.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.23 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 74.72% and a net margin of 10.36%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.89 earnings per share. Analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $0.715 per share. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.92%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Todd D. Rea sold 2,449 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.54, for a total transaction of $767,859.46. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,925,014.66. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Justin T. Binns sold 1,563 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $338.87, for a total transaction of $529,653.81. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 14,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,935,302.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Todd D. Rea sold 2,449 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.54, for a total value of $767,859.46. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,329 shares in the company, valued at $2,925,014.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 32,050 shares of company stock valued at $10,340,237. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sherwin-Williams

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Aspect Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. First United Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 158.5% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 106 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Union Savings Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

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.