The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Insider Sells $1,008,479.70 in Stock

The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,933,009.50. This trade represents a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SHW opened at $362.54 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $351.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $365.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.36, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.22. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a one year low of $282.09 and a one year high of $400.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.46.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 quarter last year, the company posted $1.81 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.95%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sherwin-Williams

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Berenberg Bank raised Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $321.00 to $420.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $423.00 price objective (up previously from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price target on Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sherwin-Williams presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $403.31.

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.