DF Dent & Co. Inc. Boosts Holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

DF Dent & Co. Inc. increased its position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 15.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 147,670 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,016 shares during the period. DF Dent & Co. Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Sherwin-Williams worth $50,198,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 41.7% during the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 119 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. 77.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Up 0.9 %

SHW stock opened at $353.72 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $353.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $363.39. The stock has a market cap of $88.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.53, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a twelve month low of $282.09 and a twelve month high of $400.42.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.02. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 11.61% and a return on equity of 74.50%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sherwin-Williams

In other news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value of $1,008,479.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 5,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,933,009.50. This represents a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on SHW shares. Berenberg Bank raised Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $380.00 price target (down previously from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Monday, March 10th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $423.00 target price (up from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $400.19.

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.