Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. Buys 47,666 Shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. grew its position in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 347.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 61,366 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 47,666 shares during the period. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc.’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $20,860,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter worth $1,359,747,000. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 47.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,998,647 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,019,329,000 after buying an additional 960,724 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 54.2% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,073,533 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $704,855,000 after buying an additional 728,798 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the fourth quarter worth $230,829,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 28.0% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,725,827 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $926,590,000 after buying an additional 595,586 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SHW opened at $350.99 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $341.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $355.22. The firm has a market cap of $87.96 billion, a PE ratio of 33.27, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 12-month low of $282.09 and a 12-month high of $400.42.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.23 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $5.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.42 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 74.50% and a net margin of 11.61%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.17 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Sherwin-Williams’s payout ratio is 29.87%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value of $1,008,479.70. Following the sale, the insider now owns 5,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,933,009.50. This trade represents a 34.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on SHW. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $405.00 to $385.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Berenberg Bank raised Sherwin-Williams from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $321.00 to $420.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $370.00 price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $410.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Sherwin-Williams from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $350.00 to $420.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $397.00.

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.