The Sherwin-Williams Company (SHW)
Sherwin-Williams is a global giant in the paint and coatings industry, best known for its iconic retail stores and professional-grade supplies.
Is The Sherwin-Williams Company a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: Sherwin-Williams is a global giant in the paint and coatings industry, best known for its iconic retail stores and professional-grade supplies.
Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
Dominance in the high-end industrial coatings market.
A prolonged economic downturn reducing discretionary spending.
What does The Sherwin-Williams Company do?
Sherwin-Williams makes its money by selling paint, stains, and protective coatings to both homeowners and professional contractors through its massive network of company-operated stores. Because they control the entire process from manufacturing to the shop floor, they can keep a tight grip on their brand and customer relationships. So much comes down to the housing market, since fewer renovations or new builds usually mean less demand for their tins of paint.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on income and quality, and weakest on value.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 0.9% a year
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 8% over the year
- !High P/E of 32 - big growth is already priced in
- !Carries a lot of debt - roughly 3.9x its equity
- ✓Strong return on shareholder money (ROE 65%)
- Strong brand recognition with a loyal professional customer base
- High profit margins compared to many industrial peers
- Direct-to-consumer store model provides better control over sales
- Value screens low (28/100)
- Economic downturns leading to reduced home renovation budgets
- Supply chain disruptions impacting the availability of key ingredients
- Rising interest rates cooling the property market
What do The Sherwin-Williams Company's numbers mean?
How much money does The Sherwin-Williams Company make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Does The Sherwin-Williams Company pay a dividend?
Yes - The Sherwin-Williams Company currently pays a dividend of about 0.9% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.
When does The Sherwin-Williams Company report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
The Sherwin-Williams Company is next scheduled to report on about 2026-10-27 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-28 | $3.52 | $3.70 | Beat +5% |
| 2026-04-28 | $2.27 | $2.35 | Beat +4% |
| 2026-01-29 | $2.16 | $2.23 | Beat +3% |
| 2025-10-28 | $3.44 | $3.59 | Beat +4% |
| 2025-07-22 | $3.81 | $3.38 | Missed -11% |
| 2025-04-29 | $2.16 | $2.25 | Beat +4% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, The Sherwin-Williams Company came in ahead of what analysts expected 5 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.
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Corteva, Inc.What are the scenarios for The Sherwin-Williams Company?
An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros and cons of The Sherwin-Williams Company?
How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Strong brand recognition with a loyal professional customer base
- High profit margins compared to many industrial peers
- Direct-to-consumer store model provides better control over sales
- High valuation multiples compared to the broader market
- Heavy reliance on the cyclical housing and construction sectors
- Vulnerable to rising costs of raw materials like oil and chemicals
- Economic downturns leading to reduced home renovation budgets
- Supply chain disruptions impacting the availability of key ingredients
- Rising interest rates cooling the property market
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A significant drop in the company's profit margins
- A major shift in consumer preference away from traditional paint products
Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-01 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.