The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Shares Purchased by Hills Bank & Trust Co

Hills Bank & Trust Co raised its holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 6.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,138 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 65 shares during the quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $355,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 16.3% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 64,196 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $16,373,000 after buying an additional 9,000 shares in the last quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC boosted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC now owns 9,840 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,510,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter valued at $987,000. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its position in Sherwin-Williams by 3.9% in the third quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 6,484 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,654,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Finally, TIAA Trust National Association acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter worth about $12,375,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

NYSE SHW traded up $1.43 during trading on Thursday, hitting $320.43. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,287,512 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,483,119. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52 week low of $221.76 and a 52 week high of $348.37. 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 firm has a market cap of $81.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $326.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $303.02.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.22 by ($0.05). Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 10.52% and a return on equity of 73.74%. The firm had revenue of $5.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.50 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.04 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.715 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. Sherwin-Williams’s payout ratio is presently 30.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sherwin-Williams

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on SHW shares. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $380.00 to $370.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. UBS Group upgraded Sherwin-Williams from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $312.00 to $402.00 in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Loop Capital decreased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $395.00 to $380.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, KeyCorp upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $400.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $341.39.

Sherwin-Williams 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.