These two need a housing rebound

Article Excerpt

Sherwin-Williams and La-Z-Boy are doing a good job of cutting costs in response to weak housing markets, which are hurting paint and furniture demand. The resulting savings have boosted both companies’ earnings and share prices. However, their sales will likely remain weak for the next year or two. SHERWIN-WILLIAMS CO. $74 (New York symbol SHW; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 109.7 million; Market cap: $8.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.2; Dividend yield: 1.9%; WSSF Rating: Above Average) is North America’s largest paint producer. Sherwin also operates over 3,300 paint stores, which account for 60% of its sales. In the three months ended March 31, 2010, Sherwin’s earnings fell 12.5%, to $32.6 million from $37.3 million a year earlier. Sherwin is an aggressive buyer of its own stock. Due to fewer shares outstanding, earnings per share fell 6.3%, to $0.30 from $0.32. In the latest quarter, Sherwin recognized a $0.10-a-share charge related to the recently passed U.S. health-care bill, which eliminates a subsidy…