HighTower Advisors LLC Has $7.85 Million Stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 8.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 108,112 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 8,293 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $7,846,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Masco in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Masco in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Masco during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Masco by 74.3% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 774 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MAS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $74.00 price objective on shares of Masco in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Masco from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Nine 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.32.

Masco Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:MAS opened at $71.07 on Tuesday. Masco Co. has a one year low of $63.81 and a one year high of $86.70. The company has a 50 day moving average of $76.00 and a 200-day moving average of $78.42. 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 stock has a market cap of $15.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 in the previous year, the business posted $0.83 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In related news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business’s 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 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 can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.