Hartford Investment Management Co. Has $960,000 Stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Hartford Investment Management Co. reduced its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 5.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 13,228 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 708 shares during the quarter. Hartford Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Masco were worth $960,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Masco by 20.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,147,000 after acquiring an additional 56,626 shares in the last quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Masco by 21.7% in the third quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 540,437 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $45,364,000 after purchasing an additional 96,415 shares in the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Masco by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 219,120 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $17,135,000 after buying an additional 13,568 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Masco by 69.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,544 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $112,000 after buying an additional 631 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 139.9% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,262 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $106,000 after buying an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MAS shares. Citigroup lowered their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Masco from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Masco presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Masco Stock Up 1.0 %

MAS stock opened at $78.42 on Friday. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $63.81 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.86, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.25. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $76.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.83 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.58%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

About Masco

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.