Metis Global Partners LLC Buys 220 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,251 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $526,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Masco by 20.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,147,000 after purchasing an additional 56,626 shares in the last quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 21.7% during the 3rd quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 540,437 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $45,364,000 after acquiring an additional 96,415 shares during the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 219,120 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $17,135,000 after acquiring an additional 13,568 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 69.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,544 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $112,000 after acquiring an additional 631 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empower Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Masco by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,016,079 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $73,737,000 after acquiring an additional 20,129 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

MAS opened at $73.63 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $15.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a 52-week low of $63.81 and a 52-week high of $86.70. 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 business’s fifty day moving average is $76.11 and its 200-day moving average is $78.82.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 last year, the company posted $0.83 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect 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 will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given 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 dividend yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

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.