The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Stake Boosted by Everhart Financial Group Inc.

Everhart Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 23.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,285 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 245 shares during the quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $383,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,620,939 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $7,509,601,000 after purchasing an additional 184,979 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 38.9% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,840,789 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,197,952,000 after acquiring an additional 1,075,351 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter worth $1,176,356,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,779,294 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $866,862,000 after acquiring an additional 116,647 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,536,096 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $791,008,000 after purchasing an additional 56,161 shares during the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

Shares of SHW stock traded up $0.82 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $358.73. The stock had a trading volume of 1,358,595 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,622,454. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a one year low of $232.06 and a one year high of $360.70. The firm has a market cap of $90.49 billion, a PE ratio of 38.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $326.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $321.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $3.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.51 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $6.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.33 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 10.92% and a return on equity of 75.58%. The business’s revenue was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.29 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.44 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.715 per share. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is 30.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Redburn Atlantic raised Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $315.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $344.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $338.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $355.00.

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.