Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Has $9.03 Million Stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. trimmed its position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,558 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 322 shares during the quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $9,028,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised 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 purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC raised 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 purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. 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 research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price target on Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Berenberg Bank upgraded Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Sherwin-Williams has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $401.13.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In other news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of Sherwin-Williams 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,933,009.50. This trade represents a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

SHW opened at $341.91 on Friday. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a one year low of $282.09 and a one year high of $400.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $353.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $365.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.23.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 previous year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

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

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.