Lincoln National Corp Lowers Stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Lincoln National Corp lowered its position in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,680 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 479 shares during the quarter. Lincoln National Corp’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $5,203,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Lee Financial Co purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter valued at $32,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter valued at $33,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, insider Justin T. Binns sold 1,563 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $338.87, for a total value of $529,653.81. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 14,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,935,302.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Mary L. Garceau sold 23,518 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $322.66, for a total transaction of $7,588,317.88. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 28,475 shares in the company, valued at $9,187,743.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Justin T. Binns sold 1,563 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now owns 14,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,935,302.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 32,050 shares of company stock valued at $10,340,237 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of SHW stock traded up $3.63 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $314.93. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,533,901 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,487,809. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 12-month low of $221.76 and a 12-month high of $348.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.85 billion, a PE ratio of 33.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $326.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $302.34.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released its earnings results 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 return on equity of 73.74% and a net margin of 10.52%. The company had revenue of $5.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.04 EPS. Sherwin-Williams’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.715 per share. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. Sherwin-Williams’s payout ratio is 30.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on SHW. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $377.00 price objective (down previously from $385.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $380.00 to $370.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $341.39.

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.