Howard Capital Management Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,489 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $506,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 88.9% in the third quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 47.5% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 1,000.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 99 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE SHW opened at $343.97 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $350.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $365.57. 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 Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52 week low of $282.09 and a 52 week high of $400.42. The company has a market capitalization of $86.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.22.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.92%. This is an increase from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on SHW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Zelman & Associates upgraded Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price objective on Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, January 31st. 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 note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $400.59.

Sherwin-Williams Company 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.