Proficio Capital Partners LLC Makes New $7.51 Million Investment in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 103,507 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,512,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MAS. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted 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 worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in Masco by 74.3% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 774 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Masco Trading Up 1.6 %

NYSE:MAS opened at $70.35 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $14.91 billion, a PE ratio of 18.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $63.81 and a 52-week high of $86.70. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $76.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.83 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Masco currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.