Rafferty Asset Management LLC Acquires 9,861 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Rafferty Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 26.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 46,789 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,861 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $15,905,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in SHW. Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 737 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $251,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,531 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,200,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 2,379 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $809,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 52.6% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 6,680 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,271,000 after acquiring an additional 2,303 shares during the period. Finally, Apella Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $498,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Trading Up 2.9%

NYSE SHW opened at $361.45 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $90.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $341.42 and its 200-day moving average is $355.21. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a one year low of $282.09 and a one year high of $400.42.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $5.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.42 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 74.50% and a net margin of 11.61%. Sherwin-Williams’s quarterly revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.17 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. Sherwin-Williams’s payout ratio is presently 29.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value of $1,008,479.70. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 5,365 shares in the company, valued at $1,933,009.50. This trade represents a 34.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SHW has been the topic of several research reports. Berenberg Bank raised Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $410.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group cut their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $430.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Mizuho set a $395.00 target price on Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $397.00.

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.