Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Sells 633 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH reduced its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 13.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,164 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 633 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s holdings in Masco were worth $302,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have 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 worth approximately $27,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Masco in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Masco in the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 59.4% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 596 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Masco Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:MAS opened at $79.49 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $17.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.25. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $76.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.93. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $63.81 and a 1 year 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.

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

Masco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Oppenheimer raised Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $85.00 target price (down from $92.00) on shares of Masco in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays reduced their target price on Masco from $93.00 to $84.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Masco from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $86.27.

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.