Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Position Reduced by Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc.

Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. lessened its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,487 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 759 shares during the quarter. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Masco were worth $1,414,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in Masco by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 703 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAS has been the topic of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $74.00 price target on shares of Masco in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Oppenheimer upgraded 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, Citigroup decreased their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Nine investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Masco presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.32.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares in the company, valued at $2,370,678.06. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MAS opened at $68.63 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. 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 business’s fifty day moving average price is $75.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.92. Masco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $63.81 and a fifty-two week high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its 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 return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.83 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is an increase 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 yield of 1.81%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio is 32.98%.

Masco 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.