Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. Reduces Stock Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lessened its holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 87,586 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 814 shares during the quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc.’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $29,773,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter worth about $32,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1,000.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 99 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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 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 approximately $1,933,009.50. This trade represents a 34.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SHW opened at $362.54 on Thursday. 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 company has a market cap of $91.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.36, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.22. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52 week low of $282.09 and a 52 week high of $400.42. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $351.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $365.84.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 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 prior year, the company earned $1.81 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. This is an increase from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on SHW. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Zelman & Associates raised Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Berenberg Bank raised Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $321.00 to $420.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $403.31.

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.