Robert W. Baird Boosts Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) Price Target to $310.00

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) had its price objective lifted by Robert W. Baird from $300.00 to $310.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. Robert W. Baird currently has a neutral rating on the specialty chemicals company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on SHW. Barclays raised their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $346.00 to $341.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. Northcoast Research upgraded Sherwin-Williams from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $360.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Citigroup raised their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $360.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn lowered Sherwin-Williams from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $337.37.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SHW opened at $306.45 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32. Sherwin-Williams has a 1 year low of $221.76 and a 1 year high of $348.37. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $328.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $299.19. The firm has a market cap of $77.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.15.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.22 by ($0.05). Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 73.74% and a net margin of 10.52%. The firm had revenue of $5.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.04 earnings per share. Sherwin-Williams’s revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Sherwin-Williams will post 11.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a dividend of $0.715 per share. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Justin T. Binns sold 1,563 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $338.87, for a total transaction of $529,653.81. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 14,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,935,302.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Sherwin-Williams news, SVP Gregory P. Sofish sold 1,830 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.70, for a total transaction of $586,881.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,029,710.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Justin T. Binns sold 1,563 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $338.87, for a total value of $529,653.81. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 14,564 shares in the company, valued at $4,935,302.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 32,050 shares of company stock valued at $10,340,237 over the last three months. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SHW. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Union Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. First United Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Lee Financial Co acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. 77.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.