Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC Reduces Holdings in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC reduced its stake in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 8.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 7,892 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 762 shares during the period. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC’s holdings in Masco were worth $573,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Masco by 20.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,147,000 after buying an additional 56,626 shares during the last quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Masco by 21.7% in the third quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 540,437 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $45,364,000 after acquiring an additional 96,415 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in Masco by 11.6% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 465,033 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $30,932,000 after acquiring an additional 48,379 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Masco by 69.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,544 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 631 shares during the period. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new position in Masco in the 2nd quarter worth $1,509,000. Institutional investors own 93.91% of the company’s stock.

Masco Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $78.29 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $16.89 billion, a PE ratio of 20.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $76.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $77.54. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $63.81 and a 1 year high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.08. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. Masco had a return on equity of 615.54% and a net margin of 10.54%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.00 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Masco’s payout ratio is 30.85%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MAS. StockNews.com cut Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Loop Capital lifted their target price on shares of Masco from $76.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Masco from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Masco from $80.00 to $83.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $86.27.

Masco Company 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.