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

Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $397.00.

A number of research analysts have commented on SHW shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $405.00 to $385.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $385.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $423.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $350.00 to $420.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Mizuho set a $395.00 price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of SHW opened at $357.65 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $89.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.79. Sherwin-Williams has a 52 week low of $290.18 and a 52 week high of $400.42. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $346.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $352.98.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.23 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $5.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.42 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 74.50% and a net margin of 11.61%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.17 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Sherwin-Williams will post 12 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were given a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.87%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cim LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Cim LLC now owns 7,528 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,629,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Drummond Knight Asset Management Pty Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the first quarter worth $10,616,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 41.8% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 112 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 57.6% in the 1st quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,382 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $483,000 after acquiring an additional 505 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Anderson Financial Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

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.