Kesler Norman & Wride LLC Makes New Investment in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 9,455 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $686,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Masco in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in Masco in the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their price target on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $85.30.

Insider Activity at Masco

In other 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 value of $1,658,768.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. The trade was a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Masco Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of MAS stock opened at $71.07 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $15.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $74.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $77.73. Masco Co. has a one year low of $63.81 and a one year high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 last year, the company posted $0.83 EPS. Analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.98%.

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.