The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Shares Sold by Empirical Finance LLC

Empirical Finance LLC decreased its holdings in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,080 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 101 shares during the quarter. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $2,747,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SHW. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 88.9% during the third quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter worth $29,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter worth $32,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 47.5% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 87 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SHW opened at $360.74 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $356.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $364.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.22. 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 Sherwin-Williams Company has a 12 month low of $282.09 and a 12 month high of $400.42.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 last year, the business posted $1.81 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on SHW shares. Citigroup lowered their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $430.00 to $420.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $400.00.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, SVP Gregory P. Sofish sold 2,565 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $378.63, for a total value of $971,185.95. Following the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Mary L. Garceau sold 15,770 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.92, for a total value of $6,275,198.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 29,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,621,253.60. The trade was 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.

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.