Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Bought by Blair William & Co. IL

Blair William & Co. IL boosted its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 12.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,906 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,174 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Masco were worth $791,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 26.7% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MAS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Masco in a research report on Tuesday. They set a “hold” rating and a $71.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $85.30.

Masco Stock Down 9.9 %

Shares of MAS stock opened at $64.01 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $74.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $77.64. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $63.12 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.75. The company has a market capitalization of $13.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.02, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 in the previous year, the business earned $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.31 dividend. 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 1.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.98%.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.