Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Raises Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 17,836 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 1,220 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $5,563,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. First Hawaiian Bank increased its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 7,559 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,358,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Tsfg LLC increased its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 754 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $235,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 4,108 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,281,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC now owns 848 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $263,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Montag A & Associates Inc. grew its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 1,825 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $465,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Sherwin-Williams

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

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

SHW stock opened at $302.34 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $328.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $298.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.69, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.83. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 1 year low of $221.76 and a 1 year high of $348.37.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.22 by ($0.05). Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 10.36% and a return on equity of 74.72%. The firm had revenue of $5.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.04 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.46 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a $0.715 dividend. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SHW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup increased their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $360.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Northcoast Research raised shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $360.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $385.00 to $380.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $326.50.

Sherwin-Williams 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.