Fulton Bank N.A. Sells 681 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Fulton Bank N.A. lessened its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 7.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 8,275 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 681 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A.’s holdings in Masco were worth $601,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Masco by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,031 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $170,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Masco by 0.3% in the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 44,940 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,756,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its position in Masco by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,031 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $590,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 7,917 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $665,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Finally, American National Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of Masco by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 14,846 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,246,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MAS shares. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Masco from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Masco from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.79.

Masco Trading Up 1.0 %

Masco stock opened at $72.42 on Friday. Masco Co. has a one year low of $63.81 and a one year high of $86.70. The business’s fifty day moving average is $77.39 and its 200 day moving average is $77.15. 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 $15.62 billion, a PE ratio of 19.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.25.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08. The firm had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. Masco had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 615.54%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.00 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Masco Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.85%.

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.