SHW - The Sherwin-Williams Company
| Previous Close | 537.52 |
| Open | 539.11 |
| Bid | 541.47 x 800 |
| Ask | 541.41 x 800 |
| Day's Range | 534.81 - 543.98 |
| 52 Week Range | 355.28 - 548.98 |
| Volume | 313,957 |
| Avg. Volume | 496,279 |
| Market Cap | 50.08B |
| Beta (3Y Monthly) | 1.22 |
| PE Ratio (TTM) | 43.65 |
| EPS (TTM) | N/A |
| Earnings Date | N/A |
| Forward Dividend & Yield | 4.52 (0.84%) |
| Ex-Dividend Date | 2019-08-15 |
| 1y Target Est | N/A |
- GuruFocus.com
5 Greenblatt Magic Formula Stocks in Basic Materials
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- Simply Wall St.
The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW): Will The Growth Last?
In June 2019, The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) announced its earnings update. Overall, it seems that analyst...
- Zacks
Sherwin-Williams (SHW) Up 25% in 6 Months: What's Driving It?
Forecast-topping Q2 earnings performance and upbeat prospects have contributed to the gain in Sherwin-Williams' (SHW) shares.
- Insider Monkey
Billionaire Richard Chilton’s Top 5 Stock Picks
Back in 1992, Richard Lockwood Chilton founded Chilton Investment Company. Apart from managing the fund, Richard Chilton is also a director of Robin Hood Foundation and a member of the Board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He holds a B.S. in Finance and Economics from Alfred University, and prior to founding Chilton Investment Company, […]
- American City Business Journals
The Golden Gate Bridge has its own signature color. Now the Ferry Building will too.
The landmark's new owners worked with paint manufacturer Sherwin Williams and the Port of San Francisco to come up a new shade.
- Simply Wall St.
Is The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) A High Quality Stock To Own?
While some investors are already well versed in financial metrics (hat tip), this article is for those who would like...
- InvestorPlace
Check Out These 5 Fast-Growing Stocks to Buy
[Editor's note: "Check Out These 5 Fast-Growing Stocks to Buy " was previously published in June 2019. It has since been updated to include the most relevant information available.]The benefit of fast-growing stocks is self-evident, but if inflation becomes something to start worrying about, fast-growing stocks have an importance tied to timing.Source: Shutterstock If inflation returns, growth will be more uneven than it has been in the past. At that point, you'll need to find firms with solid sales earnings growth as well as technical and fundamental strengths to keep the profits rolling.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips * 6 Stocks Ready to Bounce on a Trade Deal These are five fast-growing stocks to buy today that will keep you in good stead for years to come, even if inflation returns. Sherwin-Williams (SHW)Sherwin-Williams Co (NYSE:SHW) has sold paint and coatings now for 152 years. That's a pretty impressive record. But it's a bit unusual to see a paint company in a list of top growth stocks. Usually, it's some cloud-storage firm or a breakout online retailer.Source: Shutterstock However, SHW, by its size and reputation, has not only endured but it has positioned itself on top of the coatings heap. It grew from annual sales of $400,000 in 1866 to annual sales topping $15 billion last year, coming from over 100 countries around the world.Its size, scope and quality is one reason hardware giant Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) inked a deal to be the only nationwide home seller to offer SHW products. This is even more exciting given that housing demand is back on track and the interest in homeowners to fixing up their current houses. SHW is rated a "B" in my Portfolio Grader system. Vertex (VRTX)Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) is one of the leading pharmaceutical firms when it comes to treating cystic fibrosis (CF).Source: Shutterstock That may not seem like much of a franchise given all the other more compelling diseases out there, but VRTX has built a $47.7 billion market cap in the sector and most of its competitors are looking for other places to find an opening.That is a big deal for pharma companies that usually are strong until patents run down or generics start eating into margins. * 7 Value Stocks to Buy for the Second Half Not so with VRTX. As new approvals keep rolling in for next-generation CF drugs, it has plenty more in the pipeline to keep this growth going. Vertex is rated a "B" by Portfolio Grader. Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A)Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS.A, NYSE:RDS.B) is one of the biggest players in the global energy markets. With a $226 billion market cap, the only Big Oil that's bigger is Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM). It's what is called an integrated energy company because it has operations from the fields to the pipelines to the refineries to the distribution.Source: Mike Mozart via FlickrAs with all energy firms, when times are bad, the more exposure you have to the entire production and distribution process, the tougher things get. But at the size the big oils are, they have the money to wait out the bad patches.And that's just what RDS.A has done. Now it's time to cash in. RDS stock is rated a "C" by Portfolio Grader, but it is still delivering a mouth-watering 6.75% dividend. However, that may wane as the stock price starts rising. In the meanwhile, it's easy to see why this is one of our picks for the best fast-growing stocks. Lumentum (LITE)Lumentum Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: LITE) is a specialty company that focuses on laser beams. It's one of the biggest optical and photonics companies in the world that is working on the 3D sensing sector.Source: Shutterstock Essentially, 3D sensing is basically the gesture sensing that we all have become accustomed with in our mobile devices, screens in our cars, etc. It is one of the most ubiquitous aspects of our interactive age and one of the key parts of the Internet of Things (IoT) concept. * 5 Stocks to Buy for $20 or Less LITE stock rates as a "C" in Portfolio Grader, but the broader tailwinds make it worthwhile. That is to say, Lumentum is also a major player in the optical networking space that makes the infrastructure that makes our world "smarter," operating in as close to real time as possible. It's crucial for the next generation of cloud computing and network operations.Its laser division helps build the next generation of equipment that makes all this possible. Knight-Swift (KNX)Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc (NYSE:KNX) had its humble beginnings in 1966, taking steel from the Port of Los Angeles to Arizona and bringing cotton from Arizona to LA. Today, KNX is a $5.9 billion business with 20,000 trucks on the road throughout the U.S. and Mexico. If you see a Swift logo on a truck while driving, it's a KNX truck.Source: David Guo via FlickrCharles Dow, the inspiration for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, also inspired a fundamental theory about the economy and the markets. It's simply called Dow Theory.One of the core tenants is that if you look at the transportation and the industrial sectors, you can predict how well the economy will be doing in the near future. If the transport business is rising, that's a bullish sign that the economy is on an upswing and KNX stock with it.It's worth mentioning, however, that KNX stock sports an "F" rating in my Portfolio Grader system on a quantitative basis, but it has a "C" rating for fundamentals. Its inclusion in this list lies with its astronomical growth -- KNX stock is up 31% from its January low, and its one-year price target of $42 represents 35% growth. On an earnings basis, Knight-Swift is predicted to grow earnings at a long-term (5-year) rate of 10%.Louis Navellier is a renowned growth investor. He is the editor of five investing newsletters: Blue Chip Growth, Emerging Growth, Ultimate Growth, Family Trust and Platinum Growth. His most popular service, Blue Chip Growth, has a track record of beating the market 3:1 over the last 14 years. He uses a combination of quantitative and fundamental analysis to identify market-beating stocks. Mr. Navellier has made his proven formula accessible to investors via his free, online stock rating tool, PortfolioGrader.com. Louis Navellier may hold some of the aforementioned securities in one or more of his newsletters. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 10 Marijuana Stocks That Could See 100% Gains, If Not More * 11 Stocks Under $10 to Buy Now * 6 China Stocks to Buy on the Dip The post Check Out These 5 Fast-Growing Stocks to Buy appeared first on InvestorPlace.
- Zacks
Why Is Sherwin-Williams (SHW) Up 5.3% Since Last Earnings Report?
Sherwin-Williams (SHW) reported earnings 30 days ago. What's next for the stock? We take a look at earnings estimates for some clues.
- Zacks
Sherwin-Williams' (SHW) Shares Rise 34% YTD: Here's Why
Better-than-expected earnings performance in the second quarter and upbeat prospects have contributed to the run up in Sherwin-Williams' (SHW) shares.
- Moody's
Sherwin-Williams Company (The) -- Moody's assigns Baa3 ratings to Sherwin-Williams' new notes
Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") assigned Baa3 ratings to Sherwin-Williams Company (The)'s ("Sherwin-Williams") proposed senior notes. "Sherwin-Williams is taking advantage of favorable market conditions to extend debt maturities," said Ben Nelson, Moody's Vice President - Senior Credit Officer and lead analyst for The Sherwin-Williams Company. Sherwin-Williams' Baa3 rating balances a strong business profile compared to other rated chemical companies and meaningful deleveraging since the acquisition of Valspar Corporation (The) in June 2017 with credit metrics that are still somewhat soft for the rating category and a willingness to pursue shareholder-friendly activities as management-adjusted leverage falls towards 3.0x (Debt/EBITDA) despite observed weakness in key end markets and the macroeconomy.
- Simply Wall St.
The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Looks Interesting, And It's About To Pay A Dividend
The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. You can purchase shares...
- Motley Fool
Why Sherwin-Williams Stock Gained 12% in July
Investors celebrated the company's stable outlook after a solid second quarter.
- TipRanks
4 Defensive Stocks to Weather Trade-War Volatility
Bellicose words and hawkish trade policy have turned into a larger skirmish in the simmering trade war. US President Trump on Thursday tweeted that he would impose new tariffs on Chinese imports starting September 1. The tariffs, set at 10% on some $250 billion in Chinese products, will target consumer goods, including electronics. In response, China allowed the yuan to drop past 7 to the dollar – its weakest in over a decade – a reversal of the government’s usual policy of currency support. China’s government shrugged off Trump’s accusations of currency manipulation, and in today’s trading has set the yuan at a slightly stronger rate.Markets, of course, have reacted, with the Dow Jones losing 5.4% and the S&P 500 losing 5.6% between July 30 and August 5. Both indexes showed modest gains on August 6, and still show strong gains year-to-date.Here, we’ll look at four stocks well-positioned to weather trade-war induced volatility. All are buy-rated, all have recently beaten their earnings estimates, and top analysts have noted paths forward for each of them. And all four fit one of Warren Buffett’s favorite criteria for choosing stocks: “Only invest in simple businesses that you understand.” Coca-Cola Company (KO)We’ll start with the world’s most recognized soft drink, Coca-Cola. Coke is definitely a simple business, in the sense that Buffett meant; even though it markets more than 500 branded products, the company has kept its product line focused steadfastly on bottled beverages. By keeping strictly to a sector it knows and does well, Coke has built a powerful brand and a loyal customer base.On July 23, the company reported 63 cents EPS, beating the forecast by 1.6%. Reported revenues, $10 billion, were just above the expected $9.99 billion. KO shares broke above $54 after the earnings release, and still remains near that all-time high. Year-to-date, KO is up 10.4%.Writing after the earnings report, William Chappell of SunTrust Robinson noted the earnings beat and rising revenues, and said, “The company's strong organic sales trends will continue for the balance of the year based on its anticipated investments and momentum in its markets, with more benign FX conditions in 2020 also relieving some of the headwinds of 2019.” He boosted his price target to $60, to go along with his Buy rating. His target indicates confidence in a 14% upside for KO.RBC Capital’s Nik Modi also sees strength in KO, writing, “The company is executing well against its strategy to becoming a total beverage company—driving both organic revenue and earnings per growth.” Modi sees the company’s near- to mid-term earnings growth remaining in the mid- to high-single digit range. In line with this upbeat outlook, he sets a $60 target on the stock.Overall, Coke’s stock maintains a Moderate Buy rating, based on an even split of 6 buys and 6 holds over the past three months. The current share price is $52.27; as mentioned above, this is close to the stock’s all-time high. The average price target, $57.18, suggests an upside of 9.39% for KO. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)The consumer health giant offers us an interesting study. It’s a market leader in home health products, and also manufactures a variety of prescription drugs. Both business segments are profitable and tend to outperform the market; yet JNJ is only up 1.33% year-to-date, and the stock has slipped 7% since mid-July. The company’s fortunes are balanced between last month’s strong second-quarter earnings and a series of legal actions that have investors worried.For Q2, JNJ reported a 4.8% earnings beat, with EPS of $2.58 per share against the forecast $2.46. This was a 42% year-over-year gain. Revenues were also beat expectations, by 1.3%, and came in at $20.56 billion for the quarter. That was the good news.The bad news – the legal worries – concerns a set of ongoing issues, on the company’s talcum powder and possible liability exposure to the opioid epidemic, that have been dogging JNJ since last year. Investors are concerned based on the size of potential judgements against the company. BMO analyst Joanne Wuensch addressed the legal cases in her review of the stock two months ago. She said, “Litigation is a common occurrence in the health care sector that takes significant time to resolve, and often headlines are worse than reality.” Believing that JNJ has plenty of underlying strength to fall back on, she gives the stock a $157 price target and a 20% upside.Five-star analyst Jayson Bedford, writing from Raymond James, agrees with Wuensch’s assessment of JNJ stock. He says, “There is still plenty of drama ahead for Johnson & Johnson investors in the near term, but the company has solid fundamentals and the stock has an attractive valuation.” While upbeat, Bedford’s price target is more cautious, at $146, but still implies an upside of 11.6%.While Johnson & Johnson shows the most near-term weakness of the stocks in this list, it also shows the highest longer-term potential. JNJ shares have a 15% upside, based on a share price of $130 and an average price target of $151. The moderate buy rating is based on 4 buys and 3 holds from the past three months. Sherwin-Williams Company (SHW)Best known for its line of paints, Sherwin-Williams is the leading provider of paints and coating for the industrial and construction sectors. The company pleased investors and analysts last month, when its Q2 EPS of $6.57 beat the forecast by 3.5%. The beat was especially welcome after SHW missed earnings in the previous quarter.Wall Street’s analysts were quick to pick up on SHW’s performance. Writing from RBC Capital, Arun Viswanathan said, “The quarter was driven by strong execution in its North America retail market and a favorable backlog of delayed projects. The company's comps growth of 4.3% topped our forecast of 3% thanks to the higher sales volume and an increase in selling prices.” Viswanathan increased his price target by 6.3%, to $550, indicating a 10% upside for SHW.Susquehanna analyst Don Carson looked at Sherwin-Williams’ forward potential, and wrote, “We have increased confidence in the outlook for strong earnings growth in 2020 given strong Paint Stores Group sales growth in the face of adverse weather which underscores the potential for further margin expansion from falling raw material costs.” Carson’s $580 price target suggests a 16% upside potential for the stock.SHW’s analyst consensus rating of Moderate Buy is based on 7 buys and 4 holds assigned in recent months. Shares are pricey, at $498, but the high share price means the modest dividend yield of 0.91% pays out $4.52 per share annualized. The average price target, $531, implies a 6.58% upside for this stock. Waste Management, Inc. (WM)Our last stock here is also probably the strongest on this list. Waste Management’s 30% year-to-date gain is more than double the S&P 500’s 15%. In addition, Waste Management has consistently beaten the quarterly earnings expectations, and its last report was no exception. The $1.11 EPS was 3.7% higher than the $1.07 forecast, and the $3.95 billion in quarterly revenue was significantly higher than the year-ago quarter’s $3.74 billion.Waste Management’s secret to consistent outperformance is in its name: the company is North America’s largest provider of garbage collection and recycling services. Like Johnson & Johnson, Waste Management leads in a business segment that will always have ready customers. It is a classic defensive stock.The markets top analysts were predictably upbeat after the earnings report. Two analysts – Patrick Brown, from Raymond James, and Derek Spronck, from RBC Capital – both issued increased price targets for WM. Brown raised his to $127, and Spronck set his at $126. At the same time, Scotiabank analyst Mark Neville opened coverage on the stock, with a Buy rating and an aggressive price target of $130. Neville’s target implies an upside potential of 12% for WM shares.The analyst consensus on WM is a Moderate Buy. The stock has received 4 buys and 2 holds in the past three months. Shares are selling for $116, so the $124 price target gives them an upside of 7.3%.
- Kiplinger
13 Best Stocks to Buy for the Next Stock Market Correction
The stock market has been shaken in recent days by an escalation of the trade battle with China, as well as a Federal Reserve move to lower benchmark interest rates for the first time since 2008 - but not by as much as some on Wall Street hoped. But even after heavy selling, Standard & Poor's 500-stock index remains just a few percent off all-time highs.Is this the start of a long-awaited stock market correction? Possibly. But rather than trying to gauge exactly when a correction is coming or what will spark it, a better plan is to simply prepare. That is, you can shift the composition of your portfolio so it can better weather a storm - but still profit as long as the bull keeps running.A more defensive posture does have drawbacks; nothing is free. The biggest problem is being underweight the stocks that are still driving the market higher. But for investors who do think a correction is coming and don't want to play the losing game of trying to time the market, we've asked a group of investment managers and other experts which stocks they expect to hold up should the market pull back.Here are 13 of the best stocks to buy to ride out a stock market correction. Most of these revolve around the idea of investing in high-quality companies that have good cash flows and business health, boasting pricing power and stable customer demand. This includes consumer staples stocks that sell products and services that people cannot live without. A couple will help raise your exposure to gold, which is emerging from a multiyear slumber. SEE ALSO: The Berkshire Hathaway Portfolio: All 48 Buffett Stocks
- Investopedia
3 Charts That Suggest Materials Sector Is Headed Higher
Recent and pending breaks beyond key resistance on charts across the materials sector suggest that prices could be headed higher.
- GuruFocus.com
Sherwin-williams Co (SHW) President and COO David B Sewell Sold $2.3 million of Shares
President and COO of Sherwin-williams Co (30-Year Financial, Insider Trades) David B Sewell (insider trades) sold 4,709 shares of SHW on 07/24/2019 at an average price of $493.52 a share. Continue reading...
- Zacks
The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Texas Instruments, Blackstone, Northrop, Capital One and Sherwin-Williams
The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Texas Instruments, Blackstone, Northrop, Capital One and Sherwin-Williams
- Zacks
Top Analyst Reports for Texas Instruments, Blackstone & Northrop Grumman
Top Analyst Reports for Texas Instruments, Blackstone & Northrop Grumman
- Thomson Reuters StreetEvents
Edited Transcript of SHW earnings conference call or presentation 23-Jul-19 3:00pm GMT
Q2 2019 Sherwin-Williams Co Earnings Call
- Bloomberg
Caterpillar’s Grim Outlook Bulldozes Wishful Thinking
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- As investors pore over every earnings report for the very latest read on the economy, Caterpillar Inc. provided fresh evidence that the slowdown in manufacturing is no blip. The maker of bulldozers and mining machinery said Wednesday that its 2019 earnings would fall on the low end of its guidance range, snapping a streak of quarterly boosts to its outlook. Caterpillar’s pain points were similar to those that have routinely popped up in industrial companies’ results so far this second quarter: rising manufacturing costs, moderating demand and weakening confidence in the prospects for a second-half rebound. After a bizarre Tuesday turn in trading, when industrial companies including Pentair Plc and Sherwin-Williams Co. got resoundingly rewarded for cuts to their sales guidance, the glum outlook from an economic bellwether like Caterpillar seems to have shaken the market out of its reverie. Shares of Caterpillar slumped about 5% in early trading.Caterpillar continues to expect a modest sales increase in 2019, but that assumes oil and gas markets recover toward the end of the year, and that dealers work through inventory buildups and are able to accept the price increases the company is banking on to offset increased costs. Those assumptions seem tenuous.Dealers’ inventories of machines and engines climbed by $500 million in the second quarter, compared with a $100 million rise in the year-earlier period. But Caterpillar’s backlog slumped by about $1.9 billion relative to the first quarter, implying a softer demand environment. Meanwhile, sales of oil and gas equipment in North America declined in the second quarter, in part because of weaker demand in the Permian Basin. Halliburton Co. earlier this week announced an 8% cut to its North American workforce and said it would park unused fracking equipment rather than chase after market share. The oilfield services provider echoed Schlumberger Ltd.’s expectations for further sluggishness in the region in the second half of the year, even as international markets deliver robust growth. It’s also worth noting that the competitive pricing pressure in Asia that so spooked Caterpillar investors in the first quarter isn’t fading away. Sales of construction products slumped 22% in the region in the second quarter.Caterpillar’s results came as IHS Markit’s euro-area manufacturing gauge signaled the steepest contraction in more than six years and Germany’s factory Purchasing Manager’s Index fell to the lowest level in seven years. A gauge of U.S. factories showed activity is hovering on the borderline between expansion and contraction in the lowest reading since 2009. The slowdown in this sector appears to be deepening and I remain skeptical that a quarter-point cut to interest rates by the Federal Reserve would be enough to motivate the kind of investment surge that could reverse that trend.Elsewhere in industrials, aerospace has remained a haven this earnings season, with strong organic sales growth in the Honeywell International Inc. and United Technologies Corp.’s units that sell engines and aircraft parts. But it’s worth noting that Boeing Co.’s backlog is shrinking. The planemaker also reported results on Wednesday, and said its commercial backlog included more than 5,500 airplanes valued at $390 billion, down from more than 5,600 planes valued at $399 billion at the end of the first quarter. That’s likely at least in part a reflection of the fact that the embattled 737 Max is now in the fifth month of a global grounding following two fatal crashes. But should aerospace start to wobble, then we’re really in trouble. To contact the author of this story: Brooke Sutherland at bsutherland7@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Beth Williams at bewilliams@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Brooke Sutherland is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering deals and industrial companies. She previously wrote an M&A column for Bloomberg News.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
- Motley Fool
Why Sherwin-Williams, Stanley Black & Decker, and Harley-Davidson Jumped Today
Strong earnings results powered shares of these companies higher.
Motley FoolSherwin-Williams Co (SHW) Q2 2019 Earnings Call Transcript
SHW earnings call for the period ending June 30, 2019.
- InvestorPlace
Sherwin-Williams Earnings: SHW Stock Soars Despite Revenue Miss
Sherwin-Williams earnings for the company's second quarter of 2019 has SHW stock up on Tuesday.Source: Shutterstock The Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) earnings report starts off bad with revenue of $4.88 billion for the second quarter of the year. This does comes in above its revenue of $4.77 billion from the same time last year. However, it misses Wall Street's revenue estimate of $4.94 billion for the quarter, but couldn't stop SHW stock from soaring today.Despite the revenue miss, a strong earnings per share of $6.57 for the quarter is helping SHW stock today. This is up from the company's earnings per share of $5.73 from the second quarter of 2018. It also easily beats out analysts' earnings per share estimate of $6.37 for the period.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsWhen it comes to net income for the second quarter of the year, Sherwin-Williams brought in $471.00 million. That's an increase over the company's net income of $403.60 million for the same period of the year prior. * 10 Stocks to Buy From This Superstar Fund "All three of our segments increased profit and margin year-over-year," John G. Morikis, Chairman and CEO of Sherwin-Williams, said in a statement. "In The Americas Group, we generated sales growth in all end markets in our North American paint stores, led by high single digit growth in residential repaint. We leveraged the sales growth to expand segment margin by 50 basis points to 22.2%."SHW stock was up 7% as of Tuesday afternoon. The stock is also up 15% since the start of the year. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 10 Stocks to Buy From This Superstar Fund * 7 Stocks to Buy This Summer Earnings Season * 7 Marijuana Penny Stocks to Consider for Those Who Can Handle Risk As of this writing, William White did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.The post Sherwin-Williams Earnings: SHW Stock Soars Despite Revenue Miss appeared first on InvestorPlace.
- Bloomberg
Were Those Earnings Really That Good?
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Good news comes with baggage for industrial companies this earnings season. United Technologies Corp., Stanley Black & Decker Inc. and Sherwin-Williams Co. all reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings per share on Tuesday, but each company also gave investors new data points to worry about.For United Technologies, it was the fact that its aerospace businesses seem to be the only thing driving its improved outlook for sales and earnings in 2019. New equipment orders dropped 12% at Carrier in the period and 6% at the Otis elevator division, echoing reports of damped enthusiasm from industrial distributor Fastenal Co. and indications of an overall stagnation in new U.S. factory orders in June from the Institute for Supply Management. Stanley and Sherwin-Williams both left their full-year adjusted profit guidance unchanged despite notable beats in the second quarter, suggesting a cautious outlook on the rest of the year. Indeed, Stanley modestly reduced its expectation for volume growth amid a weaker outlook for industrial and emerging markets. Sherwin-Williams now expects overall revenue to increase only as much as 4% in 2019, down from an April projection of as much as 7%. Both companies think they can make up ground via price increases, but such sales weakness is troubling because Stanley and Sherwin-Williams can also be good proxies for the housing market and consumer demand.Despite the mixed results, stocks of all three companies rose Tuesday. Sherwin-Williams hit a new high and was on track for its biggest gain since 2009, while Stanley saw its biggest intraday gain since December. This is partly a reflection of lowered expectations. Industrial companies within the S&P 500 command a price-earnings ratio of about 17.5, a 10% discount to the broader benchmark’s valuation of 19.5 times profit. The average discount over the past five years is closer to 4%. Stanley had been down nearly 2% in the year leading up to Tuesday’s earnings report, owing in part to margin pressure it flagged earlier in the year. United Technologies has missed out on a nearly 4% gain in the S&P 500 after announcing a merger with Raytheon Co. that’s roused pushback from activist investors Bill Ackman and Dan Loeb.Generally speaking, though, investors appear to be choosing to prioritize the good headlines over the bad. Pentair Plc rose as much as 5.1% on Tuesday, despite relying mostly on tax benefits to beat analysts' second-quarter earnings estimates and cutting its organic growth guidance for the year. The International Monetary Fund further reduced its global growth outlook on Tuesday, saying a projected pickup from 2019’s pace in 2020 is “precarious,” with the principal risk factors being the U.S.’s various trade battles and Brexit. But for now, industrial companies are drawing on every means they have to keep the boom going, whether that’s relying on the still-robust aerospace market, pushing through price increases and cost cuts, or simply wagering a Federal Reserve interest-rate cut will boost investment.The thing about price increases is they get much trickier to pass along if demand starts to wobble. Stanley is also feeling the pain from the U.S.-China trade war. It now expects a $390 million hit to 2019 earnings from tariffs, currency swings and rising commodity prices, up from $340 million previously. Come 2020, United Technologies’ Carrier and Otis units will be spun off as independent companies, freeing the company from any future underperformance. Currency swings wiped out the modest organic revenue gain at Carrier in the second quarter, leaving it with a 1% decline in overall sales for the first six months of the year, and United Technologies lowered its full-year sales and profit outlook for the division. The flip side of United Technologies’ breakup is that it will be more exposed to an eventual downturn in aerospace markets without those two divisions, something it hopes to offset by expanding its defense business through the Raytheon deal.This willingness to look past trouble spots will be put to the test later this week when Caterpillar Inc. and 3M Co. report.(Updates stock activity in the third and fourth paragraphs.)To contact the author of this story: Brooke Sutherland at bsutherland7@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Beth Williams at bewilliams@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Brooke Sutherland is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering deals and industrial companies. She previously wrote an M&A column for Bloomberg News.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
