The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Shares Sold by California Public Employees Retirement System

California Public Employees Retirement System decreased its holdings in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 486,232 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 9,047 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $151,656,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Hawaiian Bank increased its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 7,559 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,358,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Tsfg LLC lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Ellsworth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 4,108 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,281,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 4.7% in the 4th 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 period. Finally, Montag A & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 1,825 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $465,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Justin T. Binns sold 1,563 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $4,935,302.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Justin T. Binns sold 1,563 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $338.87, for a total transaction 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Mary L. Garceau sold 23,518 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.66, for a total value of $7,588,317.88. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 28,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,187,743.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 32,050 shares of company stock valued at $10,340,237. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

Sherwin-Williams stock opened at $302.34 on Wednesday. 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 52 week low of $221.76 and a 52 week high of $348.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.15. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $328.40 and a 200-day moving average of $298.73.

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

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a $0.715 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on SHW shares. Northcoast Research upgraded 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 note on Tuesday, February 27th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $285.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $352.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average 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.