Arete Wealth Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 1,393 The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,393 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $473,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,359,747,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $230,829,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 41,520.8% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 479,472 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $162,987,000 after acquiring an additional 478,320 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Sherwin-Williams by 28.6% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,032,170 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $690,796,000 after acquiring an additional 451,505 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 79.5% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 653,548 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $219,945,000 after acquiring an additional 289,450 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total transaction of $1,008,479.70. Following the sale, the insider now owns 5,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,933,009.50. This trade represents a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Down 2.6 %

Shares of Sherwin-Williams stock opened at $331.91 on Friday. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52-week low of $282.09 and a 52-week high of $400.42. The company has a 50 day moving average of $352.24 and a 200 day moving average of $362.80. 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 company has a market capitalization of $83.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.81 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on SHW shares. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price target on Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $380.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $398.94.

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.