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

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC cut its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm 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 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. PGGM Investments grew its position in Masco by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 189,604 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $13,760,000 after buying an additional 2,027 shares during the period. Essential Planning LLC. bought a new position in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,134,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Masco by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 47,398 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,440,000 after purchasing an additional 389 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Masco by 16.5% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 65,598 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,760,000 after purchasing an additional 9,287 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Masco by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 108,112 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,846,000 after purchasing an additional 8,293 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Masco Price Performance

NYSE:MAS opened at $70.54 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $75.43 and a 200 day moving average of $77.98. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $63.81 and a 52-week high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.83 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other Masco news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of Masco 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 transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer raised Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Masco currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Masco Company 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.