First Trust Advisors LP Grows Position in The Sherwin-Williams Company $SHW

First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 44.9% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 123,505 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 38,250 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $39,589,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 172.4% during the first quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 79 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. 77.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Up 3.1%

SHW opened at $327.27 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.10. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $321.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $332.13. The company has a market capitalization of $80.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.41, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.10. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52 week low of $289.86 and a 52 week high of $379.65.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.08. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 64.55% and a net margin of 10.86%.The business had revenue of $5.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.56 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.25 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 11th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st will be issued a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 21st. Sherwin-Williams’s payout ratio is presently 30.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SHW has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $405.00 target price (up from $391.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $365.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Berenberg Bank set a $380.00 price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Monday, June 8th. Finally, UBS Group cut shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $385.00 to $330.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $373.92.

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.