Rafferty Asset Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company $SHW

Rafferty Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 77.1% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 79,226 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 34,481 shares during the quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $27,433,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MTM Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 104.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 86 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Rossby Financial LCC grew its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 96.0% in the 3rd quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 98 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 129.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 108 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE:SHW opened at $362.08 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $350.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $346.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.87. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a fifty-two week low of $308.84 and a fifty-two week high of $379.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 1.25.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.57 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 10.90% and a return on equity of 65.26%. Sherwin-Williams’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.09 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Sherwin-Williams’s payout ratio is 30.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sherwin-Williams

In other news, SVP Bryan J. Young sold 2,513 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $364.47, for a total transaction of $915,913.11. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 10,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,661,101.15. The trade was a 20.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,976 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $359.50, for a total transaction of $1,069,872.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,928,717.50. The trade was a 35.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $390.00 price objective on Sherwin-Williams and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Monday, January 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $380.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, UBS Group set a $420.00 price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, January 30th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $387.67.

Sherwin-Williams Company Profile

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE: SHW) is a global manufacturer and distributor of paints, coatings and related products. Founded in 1866 and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, the company supplies a broad range of coatings for residential, commercial and industrial applications. Its product offering includes architectural paints and stains, industrial and protective coatings, automotive finishes, and a variety of sundry products such as primers, sealants and specialty treatments used by professionals and consumers.

The company sells through multiple channels, including a large network of company-operated retail paint stores that serve professional contractors and do-it-yourself consumers, as well as through distributors and mass retailers.