Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) Upgraded to “Buy” at StockNews.com

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on SHW. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $392.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 26th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 target price (up from $386.00) on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Redburn Atlantic raised Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $365.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $375.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $362.68.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

NYSE:SHW traded down $1.23 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $378.52. 2,502,044 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,585,939. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17. The company has a market capitalization of $95.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.17. Sherwin-Williams has a 12 month low of $232.06 and a 12 month high of $382.83. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $353.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $328.32.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $3.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $6.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.29 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Sherwin-Williams will post 11.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, CFO Allen J. Mistysyn sold 14,520 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $366.83, for a total value of $5,326,371.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 63,520 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,301,041.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 102.3% during the second quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 89 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 136.4% during the 2nd quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 104 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 233.3% in the 2nd quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 110 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Anfield Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 2nd quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 2nd quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

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.