Independent Advisor Alliance Boosts Stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Independent Advisor Alliance raised its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 26.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,789 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 804 shares during the quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance’s holdings in Masco were worth $275,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of Masco by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 74.3% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 774 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In other Masco news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This trade represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MAS. Barclays upped 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 reduced their price objective on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Zelman & Associates raised Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.32.

Masco Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:MAS opened at $71.64 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $15.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.05, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $63.81 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $75.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $78.31. 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 issued 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 return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.73%. This is an increase from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Masco’s payout ratio is presently 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.