American Trust Acquires 1,709 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

American Trust increased its holdings in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 23.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,866 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 1,709 shares during the quarter. American Trust’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $3,079,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. First United Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its position in Sherwin-Williams by 158.5% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 106 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the first quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC raised its position in Sherwin-Williams by 1,154.5% in the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 138 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. 77.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Sherwin-Williams news, insider Jane M. Cronin 9,320 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Down 0.9 %

Sherwin-Williams stock traded down $3.13 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $347.25. The stock had a trading volume of 1,446,528 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,831,105. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.81. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a fifty-two week low of $232.06 and a fifty-two week high of $356.69. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $311.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $316.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $87.60 billion, a PE ratio of 37.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.16.

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

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be issued a $0.715 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SHW has been the subject of several research reports. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. StockNews.com cut Sherwin-Williams from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $360.00 to $386.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Mizuho decreased their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $340.00 to $334.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $390.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have assigned 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 an average target price of $355.00.

Sherwin-Williams 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.