Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) Reaches New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $394.18 and last traded at $393.65, with a volume of 52938 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $388.30.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on SHW shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. UBS Group restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. StockNews.com upgraded Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $396.47.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $99.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.46, a PEG ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.83. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $377.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $345.63.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The specialty chemicals company reported $3.37 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.56 by ($0.19). The company had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.20 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 11.09% and a return on equity of 74.45%. Sherwin-Williams’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.20 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.715 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $2.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Sherwin-Williams’s payout ratio is 28.49%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Allen J. Mistysyn sold 14,520 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction 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 owns 63,520 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,301,041.60. This trade represents a 18.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Gregory P. Sofish sold 2,565 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.63, for a total value of $971,185.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 6,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,396,349.27. The trade was a 28.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sherwin-Williams

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SHW. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Sherwin-Williams by 88.9% during the 3rd quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Sherwin-Williams by 102.3% during the 2nd quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 89 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. grew its position 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 worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. 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.