Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Sells 540 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lessened its holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 27,727 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 540 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $2,012,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MAS. Algert Global LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the third quarter worth $470,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in Masco by 75.2% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,583 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $217,000 after purchasing an additional 1,109 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Masco by 12.2% during the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 26,854 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,254,000 after buying an additional 2,911 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance acquired a new position in Masco during the 3rd quarter worth about $251,000. Finally, DRW Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco in the 3rd quarter valued at about $210,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MAS opened at $70.54 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $75.43 and its 200-day moving average is $77.98. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $63.81 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.76, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.83 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.76%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 32.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MAS. Barclays raised their price objective on Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Masco currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Masco Profile

Masco Corporation designs, manufactures, and distributes home improvement and building products in North America, Europe, and internationally. The company's Plumbing Products segment offers faucets, showerheads, handheld showers, valves, bath hardware and accessories, bathing units, shower bases and enclosures, sinks, toilets, acrylic tubs, shower trays, spas, exercise pools, and fitness systems; brass, copper, and composite plumbing system components; connected water products; thermoplastic solutions, extruded plastic profiles, specialized fabrications, and PEX tubing products; and other non-decorative plumbing products.