Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co Acquires 14,800 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 91.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 31,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,800 shares during the period. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $10,538,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SHW. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Apella Capital LLC grew its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $498,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,742 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,272,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. IMS Capital Management raised its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. IMS Capital Management now owns 1,287 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $437,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 438 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $149,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

SHW opened at $331.91 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $83.48 billion, a PE ratio of 31.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $352.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $362.80. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 1 year low of $282.09 and a 1 year high of $400.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.46.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.81 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. This is an increase from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SHW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Zelman & Associates raised Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $423.00 price target (up previously from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $380.00 price target (down from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Monday, March 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $398.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total transaction of $1,008,479.70. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,933,009.50. This trade represents a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

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.