Cypress Capital Group Sells 2,020 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Cypress Capital Group trimmed its holdings in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 22.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,931 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 2,020 shares during the period. Cypress Capital Group’s holdings in Masco were worth $503,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MAS. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco during the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group cut 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. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $74.00 target price on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note 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 given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Masco currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of Masco stock opened at $73.63 on Thursday. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $63.81 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $15.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $76.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.82.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm earned $0.83 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Masco’s payout ratio is 32.98%.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of Masco stock in a transaction 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.