Fisher Asset Management LLC Acquires 270 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,717 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $2,624,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on SHW. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com cut Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 28th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $450.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of 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, five have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $403.31.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SHW opened at $362.54 on Thursday. 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 stock has a market cap of $91.18 billion, a PE ratio of 34.36, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.22. The company’s fifty day moving average is $351.99 and its 200 day moving average is $365.84. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52 week low of $282.09 and a 52 week high of $400.42.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released 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. Research analysts anticipate 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 dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is 29.95%.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 5,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,933,009.50. This represents a 34.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams 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.