Deutsche Bank analyst David Begleiter raised his price target for Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) to $35 from $30 after the company announced that its board had initiated a review of strategic alternatives, including a potential sale. The analyst views the announcement as a "solid positive," though he notes that it is not new information as Axalta has "arguably" been for sale for the last two-plus years. Further, the timing is unusual as the three most likely bidders for Axalta are somewhat constrained in the near-term as Nippon Paint is buying Dulux, AkzoNobel (AKZOY) is focused on delivering "aggressive" 2020 margin targets, and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) is still a bit levered post Valspar, Begleiter tells investors in a research note. Still, the analyst believes the most likely outcome of Axalta's process is a sale of the company in the mid-$30s per share. And without a sale, Begleiter believes downside in the stock is limited, creating an attractive risk/reward setup. He reiterates a Buy rating on Axalta Coating.

RBC Capital lowered the firm's price target on Sherwin-Williams to $370 from $380 but keeps an Outperform rating on the shares after its Q1 results and below-consensus guide. The company's investments and ramp-up of pricing realization through 2024 should support above-market growth, while volume upside should further fuel its margin expansion, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Recovery in new residential business, strong share gains, growth in protective/marine and greater than expected capital return could also provide upside to current FY24 guidance, the firm added.

KeyBanc analyst Aleksey Yefremov last night upgraded Sherwin-Williams to Overweight from Sector Weight with a $400 price target. The analyst recommends taking advantage of the 13% pullback in shares since the recent peak in late March. The firm acknowledges a "somewhat less confident" Q1 print and more questions about volume outlook for 2024 on higher interest rates, but believes investors should focus on Sherwin-Williams' volume recovery story that it expects to unfold in 2025 and 2026. KeyBanc expects the company to continue taking share in architectural paint.

Goldman Sachs upgraded AkzoNobel to Neutral from Sell with a price target of $70, up from $66. The company's Q1 adjusted EBITDA topped estimates, but shares fell 7% intraday due to a higher-than-expected operating expense guidance given on the earnings call, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Investors have expressed disappointment in the higher-than-expected costs, stating that more could be done to offset higher wage inflation, though despite the higher opex outlook, the Q2 and FY24 EBITDA guidance ranges given by management still bracket consensus, the firm added.

BMO Capital lowered the firm's price target on Sherwin-Williams to $377 from $385 but keeps an Outperform rating on the shares. The company's Q1 results disappointed, as weather and customer project delays in the seasonally light Q1 more than offset early share gains tied to competitor issues, but its expected market share gains should amplify results in 2025/26 when housing improves with eventual interest rate cuts, the analyst tells investors in a research note.

Baird analyst Ghansham Panjabi raised the firm's price target on Sherwin-Williams to $310 from $300 and keeps a Neutral rating on the shares. The firm said in their opinion, current end-market weakness is a function of the lagged impact of previous increases in interest rates, noting that while raw material cost deflation was a partial offset, the recent up-tick in upstream input costs points toward a peak margin backdrop for Sherwin-Williams and peers.