Oak Thistle LLC Lowers Stock Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Oak Thistle LLC cut its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 32.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,526 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 3,087 shares during the quarter. Oak Thistle LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $515,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Masco by 62.4% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 354 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Masco during the 1st quarter valued at $43,000. Union Savings Bank raised its stake in shares of Masco by 91.7% during the 4th quarter. Union Savings Bank now owns 575 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Masco in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new position in Masco during the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. 93.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MAS has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. StockNews.com downgraded Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Masco from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on Masco from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Masco from $75.00 to $74.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.15.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of MAS traded down $1.96 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $64.71. 1,726,935 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,928,415. The company has a market cap of $14.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.27. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $47.66 and a 1 year high of $78.94. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $68.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.76.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.06. Masco had a return on equity of 865.37% and a net margin of 11.60%. The business had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.87 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Masco Co. will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 24th were issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 23rd. Masco’s payout ratio is 28.43%.

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.