Modern Wealth Management LLC Buys 381 Shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Modern Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 10.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,007 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $311,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Masco during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Zelman & Associates upgraded Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price 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. Oppenheimer upgraded Masco from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $89.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Nine 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.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.32.

Masco Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE MAS opened at $70.54 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $75.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $77.98. The company has a market capitalization of $14.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.76, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Masco Co. has a twelve month low of $63.81 and a twelve month high of $86.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 earned $0.83 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Masco Co. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.76%. Masco’s payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

Insider Transactions at Masco

In other news, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.