QRG Capital Management Inc. Buys 24,394 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 138.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 41,967 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,394 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $14,266,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SHW. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 88.9% in the 3rd quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

SHW stock opened at $356.02 on Friday. 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 business’s fifty day simple moving average is $350.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $365.51. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a twelve month low of $282.09 and a twelve month high of $400.42. The firm has a market cap of $89.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.75, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.22.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.02. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 74.50% and a net margin of 11.61%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.81 EPS. Analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. This is an increase from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 28th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price target on Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sherwin-Williams has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $403.31.

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.