The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seventeen brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $386.3333.

SHW has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group set a $420.00 target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $410.00 price target on Sherwin-Williams and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Vertical Research raised Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $371.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $390.00 target price on Sherwin-Williams and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of SHW stock opened at $372.25 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.87. The stock has a market cap of $92.28 billion, a PE ratio of 36.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 1.25. The business’s fifty day moving average is $342.28 and its 200-day moving average is $345.26. Sherwin-Williams has a 1 year low of $308.84 and a 1 year high of $379.65.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.07. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 65.26% and a net margin of 10.90%.The firm had revenue of $5.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.57 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.09 earnings per share. Sherwin-Williams’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Sherwin-Williams will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,976 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $359.50, for a total value of $1,069,872.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,365 shares in the company, valued at $1,928,717.50. This trade represents a 35.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sherwin-Williams

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,257 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $435,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its position in Sherwin-Williams by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 5,102 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,653,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. Sowell Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 1,057 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $343,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC lifted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 1,885 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $647,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. boosted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 2,118 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $686,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

About Sherwin-Williams

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE: SHW) is a global manufacturer and distributor of paints, coatings and related products. Founded in 1866 and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, the company supplies a broad range of coatings for residential, commercial and industrial applications. Its product offering includes architectural paints and stains, industrial and protective coatings, automotive finishes, and a variety of sundry products such as primers, sealants and specialty treatments used by professionals and consumers.

The company sells through multiple channels, including a large network of company-operated retail paint stores that serve professional contractors and do-it-yourself consumers, as well as through distributors and mass retailers.