Natixis Acquires 5,030 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Natixis grew its stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 130,646 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,030 shares during the period. Natixis owned 0.05% of Sherwin-Williams worth $44,410,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its position in Sherwin-Williams by 41.7% during the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 119 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on SHW shares. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $380.00 price target (down previously from $423.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Monday, March 10th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $430.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $423.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $392.50.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

SHW opened at $333.03 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.79. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52-week low of $282.09 and a 52-week high of $400.42. The firm has a market cap of $83.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.26. The business’s fifty day moving average is $344.78 and its 200-day moving average is $358.89.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 last year, the company posted $1.81 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Sherwin-Williams’s payout ratio is presently 29.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value 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 through this link. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

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.