Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) Given “Hold” Rating at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group restated their hold rating on shares of Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) in a report issued on Monday morning, MarketBeat reports. They currently have a $380.00 price objective on the specialty chemicals company’s stock, down from their previous price objective of $423.00.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on SHW. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $423.00 target price (up from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 28th. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. One equities research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $401.13.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE SHW opened at $358.11 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $353.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $365.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. Sherwin-Williams has a 12-month low of $282.09 and a 12-month high of $400.42.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share (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 quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.81 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Sherwin-Williams will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. This is a boost from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.95%.

Insider Activity at Sherwin-Williams

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value of $1,008,479.70. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter worth $29,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter worth $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% 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.