Class-action Win Offset By Lower Earnings

Article Excerpt

SHERWIN-WILLIAMS CO. $54 (New York symbol SHW; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 117.5 million; Market cap: $6.3 billion; WSSF Rating: Above average) gained nearly $10 after the Supreme Court of Rhode Island dismissed a class-action lawsuit that claimed paint makers were liable for harm caused by lead paint they made and sold decades earlier. The Rhode Island ruling also prompted prosecutors in Columbus, Ohio to drop a similar lawsuit. While the ruling is a plus for Sherwin-Williams, it needs oil to make its paints, and rising oil costs continue to hurt its profits. In the three months ended June 30, 2008, earnings fell 15.3%, to $171.7 million from $202.6 million a year earlier. Per-share earnings fell just 4.6%, to $1.45 from $1.52, due to fewer shares outstanding. Sales rose slightly, to $2.22 billion from $2.20 billion. Sherwin-Williams is a hold. hold…