The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Stake Lessened by West Oak Capital LLC

West Oak Capital LLC cut its stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 88.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 630 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 4,833 shares during the quarter. West Oak Capital LLC’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $214,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Griffin Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Griffin Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,296 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,548,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,560 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $595,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in Sherwin-Williams by 47.5% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 87 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its position in Sherwin-Williams by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,201 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $458,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Interstate Bank lifted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. First Interstate Bank now owns 1,466 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $560,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. 77.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, SVP Gregory P. Sofish sold 2,565 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.63, for a total value of $971,185.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 6,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,396,349.27. This represents a 28.84 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Mary L. Garceau sold 15,770 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.92, for a total transaction of $6,275,198.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 29,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,621,253.60. This trade represents a 35.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

SHW stock traded down $7.62 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $329.92. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,685,150 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,744,258. The stock has a market cap of $83.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.86, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.22. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $367.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $357.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 1 year low of $282.09 and a 1 year high of $400.42.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The specialty chemicals company reported $3.37 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.56 by ($0.19). Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 74.45% and a net margin of 11.09%. The business had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.20 earnings per share. Sherwin-Williams’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a $0.715 dividend. This represents a $2.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $430.00 to $420.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sherwin-Williams currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $402.25.

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.