Sherwin-Williams Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:SHW)

The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors acquired 4,821 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 449% compared to the typical daily volume of 878 put options.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In other news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total transaction of $1,008,479.70. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares in the company, valued at $1,933,009.50. This represents a 34.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sherwin-Williams

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SHW. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter worth $1,359,747,000. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 18.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,482,662 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,474,238,000 after purchasing an additional 999,164 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 47.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,998,647 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,019,329,000 after purchasing an additional 960,724 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 54.2% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,073,533 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $704,855,000 after purchasing an additional 728,798 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter worth $230,829,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Down 2.1 %

SHW stock opened at $335.23 on Wednesday. Sherwin-Williams has a twelve month low of $282.09 and a twelve month high of $400.42. 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 company has a market capitalization of $84.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.78, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $353.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $365.25.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 prior year, the company earned $1.81 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Sherwin-Williams will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.94%. This is an increase from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on SHW shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, January 31st. 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, January 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Sherwin-Williams presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $401.13.

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.