Sigma Planning Corp Sells 4,951 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Sigma Planning Corp reduced its position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 78.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,323 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 4,951 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $413,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Hawaiian Bank lifted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 7,559 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,358,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Tsfg LLC lifted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 754 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $235,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Ellsworth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 4,108 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,281,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC lifted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC now owns 848 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $263,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Montag A & Associates Inc. lifted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 2.2% during the third quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 1,825 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $465,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sherwin-Williams

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Todd D. Rea sold 2,449 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.54, for a total transaction of $767,859.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 9,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,925,014.66. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, SVP Mary L. Garceau sold 23,518 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.66, for a total transaction of $7,588,317.88. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 28,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,187,743.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Todd D. Rea sold 2,449 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.54, for a total value of $767,859.46. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,329 shares in the company, valued at $2,925,014.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 32,050 shares of company stock worth $10,340,237 in the last three months. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

NYSE SHW opened at $306.45 on Friday. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a one year low of $221.76 and a one year high of $348.37. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $328.05 and a 200 day moving average of $299.19. The company has a market capitalization of $77.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.67, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.78.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $5.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 10.52% and a return on equity of 73.74%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.04 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.41 EPS for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.715 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on SHW shares. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $377.00 price objective (down previously from $385.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Wednesday. Seaport Res Ptn lowered Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wolfe Research began coverage on Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $317.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $337.37.

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.