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

Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $400.65.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Monday, October 7th. UBS Group reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

SHW opened at $358.23 on Monday. Sherwin-Williams has a 52-week low of $282.09 and a 52-week high of $400.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97. The company has a market cap of $90.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.22. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $359.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $363.60.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.02. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 11.09% and a return on equity of 74.45%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Sherwin-Williams will post 11.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Gregory P. Sofish sold 2,565 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.63, for a total value of $971,185.95. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 6,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,396,349.27. This represents a 28.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Mary L. Garceau sold 15,770 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.92, for a total transaction of $6,275,198.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 29,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,621,253.60. This trade represents a 35.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Sherwin-Williams

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Griffin Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Griffin Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,296 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,548,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,201 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $458,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 47.5% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 87 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,560 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $595,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Finally, First Interstate Bank boosted its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. First Interstate Bank now owns 1,466 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $560,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.