Here we will take a look at the Gross Margin Score of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) shares. The equity currently has a score of 45.00000. This score is derived from the Gross Margin (Marx) stability and growth over the previous eight years. The Gross Margin score lands on a scale from 1 to 100 where a score of 1 would be considered positive, and a score of 100 would be seen as negative.  The low score of 45.00000 for The Sherwin-Williams Company indicates a top score for stability and growth.

As we move deeper into the year, investors will be paying attention to which companies are well-positioned for future growth. Even if the current earnings reports are a mixed bag, investors can study which industries look they are taking the top spot. Many active investors may be focusing on which way estimates are trending heading into the company earnings release. Analysts will often make updates to projections shortly before and after the earnings numbers are provided. Many active investors may enjoy the volatility that comes with trading around earnings, but others will choose to let the heavy action pass before deciding which stocks to buy or sell next.  

The Piotroski F-Score is a scoring system between 1-9 that determines a firm’s financial strength.  The score helps determine if a company’s stock is valuable or not.  The Piotroski F-Score of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) is 3.  A score of nine indicates a high value stock, while a score of one indicates a low value stock.  The score is calculated by the return on assets (ROA), Cash flow return on assets (CFROA), change in return of assets, and quality of earnings.  It is also calculated by a change in gearing or leverage, liquidity, and change in shares in issue.  The score is also determined by change in gross margin and change in asset turnover.

Turning to valuation, The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) has a Value Composite score of 70. Developed by James O’Shaughnessy, the VC score uses five valuation ratios. These ratios are price to earnings, price to cash flow, EBITDA to EV, price to book value, and price to sales. The VC is displayed as a number between 1 and 100. In general, a company with a score closer to 0 would be seen as undervalued, and a score closer to 100 would indicate an overvalued company. Adding a sixth ratio, shareholder yield, we can view the Value Composite 2 score which is currently sitting at 61.

At the time of writing, The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) has a Piotroski F-Score of 3. The F-Score may help discover companies with strengthening balance sheets. The score may also be used to spot the weak performers. Joseph Piotroski developed the F-Score which employs nine different variables based on the company financial statement. A single point is assigned to each test that a stock passes. Typically, a stock scoring an 8 or 9 would be seen as strong. On the other end, a stock with a score from 0-2 would be viewed as weak.

The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) has a current ERP5 Rank of 6472 . The ERP5 Rank may assist investors with spotting companies that are undervalued. This ranking uses four ratios. These ratios are Earnings Yield, ROIC, Price to Book, and 5 year average ROIC. When looking at the ERP5 ranking, it is generally considered the lower the value, the better.

Doing the proper research can go a long way when preparing to enter the stock market. Professional investors typically make sure that all the necessary research is completed when making crucial decisions. Of course, all the research in the world cannot guarantee success in the markets, but it can help to keep the investor one step ahead of the class. Understanding how the stock market functions can help the investor gain the confidence to start conquering the terrain. Building confidence in investing decisions can play a big part in the future success of the individual’s portfolio.  
                                         
Shifting gears, we can see that The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) has a Q.i. Value of 50.00000. The Q.i. Value ranks companies using four ratios. These ratios consist of EBITDA Yield, FCF Yield, Liquidity, and Earnings Yield. The purpose of the Q.i. Value is to help identify companies that are the most undervalued. Typically, the lower the value, the more undervalued the company tends to be.

PI & Volatility

Stock volatility is a percentage that indicates whether a stock is a desirable purchase.  Investors look at the Volatility 12m to determine if a company has a low volatility percentage or not over the course of a year.  The Volatility 12m of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) is 28.492500.  This is calculated by taking weekly log normal returns and standard deviation of the share price over one year annualized.  The lower the number, a company is thought to have low volatility.  The Volatility 3m is a similar percentage determined by the daily log normal returns and standard deviation of the share price over 3 months.  The Volatility 3m of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) is 24.438100.  The Volatility 6m is the same, except measured over the course of six months.  The Volatility 6m is 22.357300.

There are plenty of various strategies to employ when deciding which stocks to buy. These different strategies may be super simple or highly complex. Although there is no one plan that will magically create instant profits, having a plan in place will most likely benefit the investor immensely. One way to examine shares is by following fundamental data. Essentially, fundamental study involves viewing the health of a particular company by studying company financials. Many investors will closely study the balance sheet to see how profitable the company has been and try to figure out future performance. Investors may choose to compare companies that share the same sector in order to get a truer sense of how it stacks up to the competition.

We can now take a quick look at some historical stock price index data. The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) presently has a 10 month price index of 1.43812. The price index is calculated by dividing the current share price by the share price ten months ago. A ratio over one indicates an increase in share price over the period. A ratio lower than one shows that the price has decreased over that time period. Looking at some alternate time periods, the 12 month price index is 1.38242, the 24 month is 1.47864, and the 36 month is 2.13070. Narrowing in a bit closer, the 5 month price index is 1.30186, the 3 month is 1.20342, and the 1 month is currently 1.05935.

Investors might be searching far and wide for the next set of winning stocks to add to the portfolio. Many value investors may be on the lookout for stocks that are underpriced at current levels. Some investors may be looking for names that have the potential to see major growth in the next few years. Picking growth companies can be a bit riskier, but they may have much bigger potential for substantial returns. Other investors may be interested in finding companies that provide stable returns and pay out a solid dividend. Investors may even choose to piece together the portfolio with stocks from different categories. Having a diverse selection of stocks is typically recommended for longer-term portfolio health.