Modern Wealth Management LLC Buys 381 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Modern Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 10.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 4,007 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the period. Modern Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $311,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in 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 last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other Masco news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm’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 in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company’s 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 in the company, valued at $2,370,678.06. This 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 owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. 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. Citigroup dropped their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Masco Stock Up 0.2 %

Masco stock opened at $70.54 on Friday. 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’s fifty day moving average is $75.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.98. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $63.81 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued 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 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.83 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

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