The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eighteen ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation, ten have issued a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $401.13.

SHW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Zelman & Associates upgraded Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 target price on Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Down 1.7 %

SHW opened at $339.77 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $353.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $363.86. 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 has a 12 month low of $282.09 and a 12 month high of $400.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.21, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 quarter last year, the business earned $1.81 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Sherwin-Williams will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value of $1,008,479.70. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares in the company, valued at $1,933,009.50. The trade was a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sherwin-Williams

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

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.