Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) was upgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $390.00 to $376.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Vertical Research raised shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $371.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $410.00 to $371.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $410.00 to $385.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $386.31.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE SHW opened at $326.03 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $343.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $339.94. Sherwin-Williams has a 52-week low of $301.58 and a 52-week high of $379.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.75, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.27.

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

Insider Activity at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,976 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $359.50, for a total value 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. This represents a 35.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Bryan J. Young sold 2,513 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $364.47, for a total value of $915,913.11. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 10,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,661,101.15. This represents a 20.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 149.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,588 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $3,320,000 after acquiring an additional 5,744 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 16.1% during the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 125,914 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $43,536,000 after purchasing an additional 17,422 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 26.1% during the third quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 30,927 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $10,709,000 after purchasing an additional 6,408 shares in the last quarter. Mairs & Power Inc. lifted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 0.7% in the third quarter. Mairs & Power Inc. now owns 464,043 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $160,680,000 after purchasing an additional 3,430 shares during the period. Finally, Inscription Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter worth approximately $1,069,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

About Sherwin-Williams

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.