Essential Planning LLC. Invests $372,000 in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Essential Planning LLC. acquired a new position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,053 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $372,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 1,000.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 99 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC grew its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 41.7% in the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 119 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on SHW shares. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 target price on Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Zelman & Associates upgraded Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $435.00 to $408.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $423.00 target price (up previously from $418.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $401.13.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value of $1,008,479.70. Following the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

Shares of SHW opened at $341.91 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $85.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.41, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $353.74 and a 200-day moving average of $365.68. 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 Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52 week low of $282.09 and a 52 week high of $400.42.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last issued its earnings results 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 last year, the business posted $1.81 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.79 dividend. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williams’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.92%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.95%.

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.