Sherwin Williams (NYSE: SHW) issued a business update on Thursday that described relatively normal operating trends through the global outbreak of COVID-19 and related containment measures by governments around the world. The paint giant affirmed its fiscal first-quarter guidance, which calls for sales to rise by between 2% and 5% through late March, while noting a few headwinds related to the pandemic, especially in Asia. Image source: Getty Images. Sherwin Williams had good news to report in this update, including the fact that its production levels are back to normal across Asia and that demand remains strong in the U.S. In fact, North American sales are likely to be at the high end of management's prior forecast, executives said. Supply chain disruptions have also been minimal so far. The company is keeping its paint stores open while taking steps to protect employees and customers. While that's a relief for shareholders, the situation is still fluid. "Near-term market conditions are likely to remain unpredictable," CEO John Morikis said in a press release. He also said the dividend giant's "long-term demand fundamentals remain intact." The company is scheduled to release its full first-quarter results on April 29. 10 stocks we like better than Sherwin-WilliamsWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Sherwin-Williams wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of March 18, 2020 Demitrios Kalogeropoulos owns shares of Sherwin-Williams. The Motley Fool recommends Sherwin-Williams. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source